


This House is Not a Home Without You

by Nielsen1984



Series: Not Without You [1]
Category: House M.D.
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexual Greg House, Bisexual James Wilson, Coming Out, Dating, Domestic Fluff, Drama, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, Family Feels, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Greg House and James Wilson Being in Love, Hallucinations, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Long-Distance Relationship, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Marriage, Minor House/Cuddy, Non-Graphic Violence, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Parenthood, Physical Therapy, Post-Season/Series 08, Rachel is a preteen not a baby, Rehabilitation, Romance, Season/Series 04, Season/Series 05, Season/Series 06, Season/Series 07, Season/Series 08, What Should Have Been, Workplace Relationship, background Cameron/Chase, minor Wilson/OFC, minor Wilson/OMC, some language, workplace harassment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:53:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 38,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29133609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nielsen1984/pseuds/Nielsen1984
Summary: When Amber dies, Wilson realizes that he needs to make some changes in his life. In the midst of moving on, he realizes that he has feelings for his best friend. When the two friends reconnect, they will start a relationship that will last a lifetime. Novel length H/W romance.**REPOSTED AND SLIGHTLY RE-EDITED**
Relationships: Greg House/James Wilson
Series: Not Without You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137908
Comments: 70
Kudos: 33





	1. PROLOGUE - Wilson's Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry for having taken this story down, but it's now back up. I promise it won't get deleted again.  
> Rated E for future chapters. Begins in 4x16, goes slightly AU after 5x1, then fully AU after 5x4. May contain spoilers for those who haven't seen certain episodes.  
> This will be a Hilson fic, but there is some minor House/Cuddy, Wilson/OFC, and Wilson/OMC in the beginning. Rachel Cuddy is also a preteen in this story when she's introduced, not a baby.  
> In this universe, same-sex marriage was legalized in 2010. Civil unions have been legal for a long time.  
> Please enjoy the story and don't forget to comment, bookmark, subscribe, and leave kudos! :)

MAY 19, 2008

“Page Doctors Cameron, Hadley, Chase, and Foreman! Code blue in room 150!” a voice shouted.

Wilson’s head snapped up from the case file he was reading. He saw the team rushing past him with a crash cart and he knew that someone was in trouble. He decided to follow them into the room and once he entered, he was stunned to find out that Amber was the patient that needed the paddles.

“Amber!” Wilson said, attempting to run over to her, but Foreman had to hold him back.

“Cameron, Remy, and Chase are going to do everything they can. Let them do their work. Just wait outside for now,” Foreman replied. Wilson nodded his head in understanding and walked out of the room, looking through the glass sliding door.

He could see Cameron frantically tearing open the buttons of Amber’s hospital gown so that she could put the pads on their correct spots. Chase was performing CPR as Cameron loaded up the defibrillator. 

“Everyone, clear!” the brunette said as everyone stepped back and gave her room to put the paddles on Amber’s chest. “Charging to 200!” Cameron shocked her once, but the blonde was unresponsive. “Charging to 300. Everyone, clear! Come back to us, Amber.” The paddles shocked Amber again, but she didn’t respond to the second shock either. “Switching to CPR!” 

The team frantically worked on Amber to save her life, but after 10 minutes with no signs of life, they made the decision to call a code. 

“Time of death, 9:10 PM,” Thirteen said. “I should be the one who tells Wilson.” She stripped off her gloves and made her way outside the room. Not seeing any sign of Wilson, she sent him a text, wondering where he was. He responded back saying he was in his office.

* * *

Thirteen made her way over to the office, knocking on the door before entering. She had a sad look on her face and Wilson could tell that whatever she was about to say to him wasn’t going to be good. 

“Wilson,” Thirteen replied, trying to keep herself together for the sake of her coworker. “We did everything we could, but Amber never responded. I am so sorry, Wilson, for your loss. We will be here if you need us. If you would like to see her, she’s still in room 150. I’ll give you some privacy.” 

As Thirteen left the office, the realization hit him and he felt a wave of anger and grief come over him.

The tears had started to form behind his eyes, but he did his best to keep them back. The news hadn’t fully settled in yet but when he made his way into Amber’s room, he couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore. The tears quickly started falling as he climbed into the bed and rested his head against her cold cheek. 

“Amber...Amber…” he said, voice choked from how hard he was crying. 

All Wilson could feel in that moment was sadness. He hugged Amber close to him, his emotions running wild. 

“I love you,” he continued, not being able to find anything else to say in that moment. 

He thought he had finally found happiness with Amber. But now, she had been taken away from him. It was if his heart had been broken once again. “Don’t leave me alone. I was finally happy after so long.” 

A knock on the door interrupted his grieving time. It was Cameron, who also had a sad look across her face. 

“Wilson, I’m so sorry, I know this just happened, but we need to talk about organ-” she said. 

“GET OUT!” he nearly screamed. His girlfriend had just died and they were trying to talk to him about donating her organs? He knew what she wanted to do, but he needed more time to be alone. “JUST GET OUT.” 

Cameron raised her hands in surrender and left. 

Wilson continued to hold Amber’s lifeless body in his arms.

_ Where do I go from here? _ he asked himself.  _ What do I do now? She’s gone...I am alone once again. _

* * *

After five minutes of alone time, he got off the bed and made his way over to where the rest of the team was. 

“I’m sorry,” Wilson said, clearing his throat before speaking again. “Cameron, I shouldn’t have yelled at you, so for that, I do apologize.” 

“It’s okay,” she said. “I understand why it happened.” 

“So, you wanted to talk about organ donation?” 

“Yes.” Chase handed her a folder and she opened it. “Amber made you her medical proxy a few weeks ago. So, it’s up to you what you want to happen with her organs.” 

“I would like to have them donated. I believe that’s what she would want too.” 

The rest of the team looked at each other. 

“Alright then. We will go and scrub up. In the meantime, why don’t you go home and try to get some sleep?” Cuddy suggested. “We’ll call you once we’re finished.” 

“I think I will go do that.” 

He was about to walk out of the room when he heard his name being called. Wilson turned around to see Thirteen make her way over to him. 

“Just know that we are all here for you and we are so sorry for what’s happened,” she said, pulling him into a comforting hug. “Please don’t hesitate to call or reach out to us.” After she released him, he nodded in understanding and mouthed a silent, “Thank you,” before leaving the room and making his way over to the ICU. Wilson wanted to make a quick stop there before heading home. 

He entered the room where House was currently resting and put his hands on his hips. 

House could tell by his best friend’s expression that something wasn’t right. He figured it had something to do with Amber. 

“She’s dead, House,” Wilson said sadly. “I told the team to donate her organs because she made me her medical proxy. I thought you should know. But now, I need to take some time for myself. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Wilson walked out of the room and slid the glass door shut, leaving his devastated friend behind, wondering what would happen to them. 

Because House felt as if a piece of his heart went out the door with him. 


	2. ONE - Dying Changes Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *May contain spoilers - Episode 5x1*

SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

House had been sitting in his office working when there was a knock on the door. Cuddy stepped inside and had a sad look on her face. 

“Wilson is back. I didn’t know if you had heard,” she said. “When did you last talk to him?” 

“Not since the day his girlfriend died,” was House’s reply. “And no, I hadn’t heard he’d come back. He wanted some time to himself, so I haven’t bothered him.” 

“He’s in his office if you’d like to go and see him.” Cuddy then turned around and left the room, leaving House feeling a bit hesitant. He wanted to go and see his best friend, but he wasn’t sure if Wilson would be up to seeing him...or anyone, for that matter. 

House decided to bite the bullet and go and see Wilson. He knocked once before opening the door. 

Wilson was sitting at his desk and writing something. But when he saw that House had entered, he paused what he was doing. 

“You’re back,” House said. “Are you feeling better?” 

“I guess? The pain’s still there. I don’t know if it’ll ever go away. But I’m only here for the rest of the week. I’m resigning from my job. I already have a new job set up in another city.”

“You can’t be serious. You left for nearly four months and now you’ve come back to say you’re leaving again?” 

“This is not your decision to make. I’ve decided that I need a change of scenery. I’m writing Cuddy my letter of resignation and handing it in at the end of the day.” 

“If you want a change of scenery, why don’t you just buy a plant instead? Why are you throwing away your career and trying to start over?!” 

“It’s none of your business! I’m allowed to change careers if I want to. Get out of my office and leave me alone. I have work to do. And when I’m done with my letter, I have to hand over my cases to another doctor.”

House angrily left the office, slamming the door behind him. He couldn’t believe what his friend was doing. He knew that Wilson was making a mistake, but the other man didn’t want to listen to him.

* * *

Cuddy was in her office working on some paperwork when the door opened and House stepped inside. She saw that he looked quite upset and figured that he had come to her to rant about something.

“You need to help convince Wilson that he’s making a huge mistake and is essentially throwing away his entire career,” House said to her after he had closed the door. 

“What’s he doing?” 

“He’s going to resign from the hospital. He says he’s already got a new job lined up in another city.” 

“What do you want me to do about it? He’s a grown man and can make his own decisions.” 

“He took a sabbatical for four months and then comes back, only to say that he’s going to quit his job? He’s going to regret this!” 

“In the end, it’s up to him what he wants to do. Have you told him how you feel about it?” 

House sighed, then spoke again. “I asked him why he was throwing away his career.” 

“And I’m guessing that didn’t go well?” House then proceeded to glare at her. “I’ll try to talk to him then. I’ll offer my advice but that’s about as much as I can do.” 

* * *

After work that evening, Wilson decided to stop at a nearby bar and have a couple of drinks. He had decided to rent a hotel room for the evening since he knew he wasn’t going to be sober enough to drive home. He had selected a hotel that was near the bar and didn’t require too much walking distance. 

Wilson took a seat on one of the barstools and requested a glass of scotch. The bartender handed him his glass and he proceeded to take a few sips. The dark liquid felt good as it went down his throat, the ice providing a slight chill and making him feel a bit more relaxed. 

As he continued to enjoy his scotch, an attractive brunette took a seat next to him and ordered a Cosmopolitan. She looked over at him and smiled slightly. 

“What’s your name?” Wilson asked her, then took a sip of his drink. 

“Sarah,” she replied. “Yours?” 

“James.” 

“Haven’t seen you around much. Are you new to the area?”

“I am from here, but I won’t be for much longer. I’ve still got a few things to take care of there before I permanently move to New York. What about you?” 

“I moved here a year ago from Oklahoma City. There weren’t good job opportunities for me back there so I came to Princeton. I’m currently a nurse.” 

“No way, really? I’m a doctor. I work in Oncology.”

“Interesting.” 

They continued chatting while sipping at their drinks. 

“Do you want to come to my hotel room?” Wilson asked once his scotch was half-empty. “I rented a room for the evening.” 

“I was hoping you’d ask me that,” Sarah replied. “I would love to.”

“It’s just down the road, so we won’t have to go too far.” 

“Sounds good to me.” 

* * *

The twosome paid for their drinks and then left the bar. Sarah followed Wilson to the hotel and once they were inside, they made their way to his room. Wilson inserted his card into the lock and opened the door, stepping off to the side so that Sarah could enter first. She stepped inside and then Wilson closed the door behind them. He rested against the door and was a bit surprised when Sarah kissed him. 

He hadn’t kissed anyone since the night Amber died and he realized how much he had missed it. He kissed Sarah back, hands gently weaving into her hair. 

Her hands immediately cupped his cheeks, then made their way into his hair. Wilson softly moaned against her lips, enjoying how she felt against him. The first signs of arousal began to show as Sarah moved her hands down to his chest. 

She kicked off her heels and heard them hit the closet door as she quickly slid off his jacket and immediately started working on undoing his tie.

Wilson reached behind her to unzip her dress, then slowly slid it off her body, leaving her standing in a lace bra and matching underwear. He felt himself get hard almost instantly, not having been intimate with someone in just over two months.

“Get on the bed,” he said. “I want you.” 

Sarah didn’t waste any time climbing on the bed and lying down on her back. Wilson kicked off his shoes and then joined her, going right back to kissing her soft lips.

Wilson’s tie soon joined her dress on the floor, as did his belt. He put his hands on her breasts, squeezing gently and then leaning down to place kisses on her chest. 

“James, I need you to fuck me,” Sarah begged, reaching down to undo the button and zipper of his dress pants. “Do you have condoms?” 

“I do,” he replied, reaching into his pants pocket and tossing one onto the bed. Once his pants were undone, Sarah pulled them down and tossed them onto the floor, then wrapped a hand around his aching length. “Oh shit, Sarah...please, more.” 

She started to move her hand up and down, stroking him, while he slid off her underwear. He positioned himself between her legs, then grabbed the condom package and opened it. He slid the condom onto his cock and asked Sarah if she was ready, to which she replied, “Yes.”

When Wilson entered her, he had to hold back tears because the feeling was just too good. She felt wonderful around him, a feeling he didn’t know when he’d get to experience again. Sarah was crying out his name as he began to quickly thrust inside her, putting his hands on either side of her to balance himself. 

The only sounds that were heard were Wilson and Sarah’s moans and gasps of pleasure, along with the bed squeaking under the vigor of their lovemaking.

It wasn’t too long before both partners started to get close to orgasm, and they were each desperate for one. 

“James, please,” Sarah begged, voice filled with lust. Her legs were tightly wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to her. “I’m so close. Make me come.” 

Wilson could feel the pleasure building in his spine, her moans driving him closer to the edge. It wouldn’t be long before he came because he was feeling her tighten up around him. 

She cried out his name as she came, legs still tightly gripping his waist, and he followed not too long after, emptying into the condom. 

“That was...pretty good,” Sarah said after Wilson pulled out and laid down on his back. After a few moments, he sat up in bed and took off the condom, disposing of it in the bathroom trash can. He returned to the bed and laid down next to her, admiring her gorgeous blue eyes and curly brown hair. 

“I thought it was pretty good too,” he told her.

They both laid there for a few minutes, feeling content and relaxed. They proceeded to have sex two more times and after they were done, both parties were feeling completely exhausted. 

“I’m so sorry, I have to go,” Sarah said a few minutes after they had finished having sex for the third time. “I forgot that I have to go run a few errands before the stores close. I’ll take a taxi home. But before I go, why don’t we exchange phone numbers?” 

“Sure.”

Once the numbers had been exchanged, Sarah left the room and Wilson was left alone once again.

* * *

SEPTEMBER 16, 2008

It was now six PM, and House was making his way over to Wilson’s office to try and stop him from leaving once again. Over the past two days, Wilson had started saying his goodbyes to everyone and had even gotten pulled into a session with Cuddy and House, which she called ‘couples counseling’.

House opened the door to Wilson’s office to find it basically empty. The only items left in the room of Wilson’s were his shoulder bag and one last packing box. House was hoping that if he talked to his best friend one last time, that it might just make him change his mind about leaving the hospital. 

House cleared his throat and then swallowed nervously before speaking. 

“Wilson, I’m sorry. I know that I didn’t want her dead or hurt. But she died because of me, and I feel terrible about it,” House said.

“I know,” Wilson replied. “I don’t blame you for it. I’ve tried and wanted to. I’ve read her case files multiple times, and I can’t find you at fault.” 

“Then are we okay? I mean, I don’t think you are, but maybe I could help.”

Wilson sighed as he finished packing up the last box. “We are not okay.” He tried to remain calm as he continued speaking. “I’m leaving for other reasons - Amber wasn’t the main one. I didn’t tell you the real reason why I was leaving because I wanted to protect you. But that’s a problem. You spread misery and manipulate people because handling an actual relationship is difficult for you. And for years, I enabled your behavior. But that stops today.” He picked up the box and slung his overnight bag over his shoulder. “We’re not friends anymore, House. I’m not sure we ever were.” 

There was nothing but silence in the air as Wilson made his way over to the door and then left the office, walking down the hallway and not looking behind him. 

He felt the emotions run through his body and he figured they were going to cause him to break down because he was so overwhelmed. 

Once he reached his car, Wilson tossed the box and bag on the passenger seat and then took a few deep breaths before turning on the ignition and driving the ten minutes to his apartment. 

When he arrived home, he immediately collapsed on his mattress, feeling the tears fall. 

_I couldn’t take it anymore,_ Wilson thought. _I had to leave. Too many bad memories. But you, House, I had to let go of our friendship. I hate that I enabled your behavior all these years. However, I’m in love with you and I can’t deny it any longer. Even though I feel this way about you, I have to move on with my life. I hate that I love you._

Wilson pulled up House’s contact info on his phone and hit the ‘block’ button. He felt sad doing so, but he knew it was what he needed to do.

Tomorrow morning, he was leaving the apartment and moving to Long Island. He had already purchased a new one-bedroom apartment and his furniture was being delivered in the afternoon. He was starting his new job at another hospital next week.

Sleep didn’t come easy for him that night.


	3. TWO - Trying to Start Over

SEPTEMBER 17, 2008

The sound of his phone’s alarm going off was the first thing Wilson heard in the morning. Picking up his phone, he shut off the alarm. He then stretched his arms above his head before getting out of bed. He couldn’t believe that he was moving out of his apartment in just a few hours. The movers would be arriving in two hours to pick up the mattress and it would be delivered to his new place in the evening.

Out of habit, he picked up his phone and prepared to dial House, but then remembered that their friendship was suspended and he had blocked him.

Wilson got changed into the clothes he had hung in the closet the night before and then pocketed his phone. Grabbing his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter, he then left his apartment, locking it up and heading out to his car. He decided to go and get some breakfast to pass the time until the movers would arrive. 

He plugged his phone into the aux cord he had in his car and pulled up his music, enjoying the sounds of Michael Jackson.

15 minutes later, he was sitting at a table and looking over the menu. When the waitress came back over to his table, he ordered a plate of chocolate chip pancakes.

After he had a few bites of the food, he plugged his headphones into his phone and pulled up his music, selecting a heavy metal song. He just wanted to distract himself from what was currently going on in his life. 

Wilson didn’t listen to metal music that often, but when he was feeling off, he would often listen to metal to make himself feel better. The music seemed to provide him a sense of calm.

He couldn’t believe that after almost 19 years of friendship, he had cut House out of his life. Wilson knew that the first couple of weeks were going to be difficult since the twosome were so used to spending a lot of time together. 

Once he finished his breakfast, he drove back to his apartment and made his way into the bedroom. Wilson plugged his charger into the wall outlet and then put the cable into his phone’s charging port. He opened his music app once again and selected a song, turning up the volume to the highest it would go. 

_ I could get used to this, _ Wilson thought.  _ I’m truly on my own now, and I am closing this chapter of my life. I need to put my past behind me. _

He just enjoyed listening and dancing to his music for a while before pulling out his laptop from his shoulder bag. Turning the computer on, he pulled up his email and saw he had one from his new boss, Sylvia Martinez. 

**Doctor Wilson,** **  
** **Do you have some time tomorrow to come to the hospital? I need to give everyone their credentials.**

**\- Sylvia Martinez, M.D.**

Wilson hit the ‘reply’ button and composed an email to her.

**Doctor Martinez,** **  
** **I can be there around 11 tomorrow morning.**

**\- James Wilson, M.D.**

He hit the ‘sent’ button and then put his computer to sleep, putting it back in his shoulder bag. 

Wilson then turned his attention back to the speaker and selected another song. The sounds of Lady Gaga filled the room and it didn’t take long for him to start singing along once again.

* * *

There was a knock on the door around eight PM that evening. Cuddy stood up and walked over to the door, looking through the peephole to see that House was outside.

She opened the door and then spoke. “I wasn’t expecting anyone this evening. What brings you buy?”

“I don’t want to be alone tonight,” he said. “I’ve lost the one best friend I had last night. He’s truly out of my life and I don’t know where I am going to go from here.” 

“I’m sorry, House. I wish there was something that we could have done,” Cuddy replied, stepping aside so that he could enter. Once he was inside, she closed the door behind him.

“He’s really, truly gone.” They both looked at each other, unsure of where to go from there. But before they knew it, they were kissing. They were unsure of who made the first move but at that moment, they didn’t care. 

Cuddy’s warm lips against his own, her body pressed up against his, her hands touching his chest...he pushed her against the door, kissing her again, and then immediately put his lips on the side of her neck, hearing her let out of a soft moan. 

“Don’t stop,” she said. “Want to take this someplace else?” 

“Yes, a bed would be preferable.”

With Cuddy’s help, they made their way to her bedroom, falling onto the bed. Cuddy straddled his waist, immediately starting to undo the buttons of her blouse. Once all the buttons were done, House felt his pants tighten at the sight of her bra, wanting to feel her breasts against his chest. 

As she removed everything from the waist up, he made a mad dash to take off his shirt and have her naked chest against his own.

They continued kissing and as they started to undo their pants, Cuddy’s image suddenly disappeared and Wilson took her place. House felt the pain return, knowing that he would probably never see his best friend again. 

However, Wilson was straddling House completely naked. He was feeling a bit confused about what to do next. 

_ “Fuck me, House,” _ Wilson’s voice said in his hallucination.  _ “Shove me into the mattress and make me yours.” _

Wilson’s suggestive talk sent the blood in House’s body rushing south. He didn’t know why he was having erotic thoughts of his former best friend, but the thoughts were too good that he didn’t want them to go away. 

“Greg, please, make love to me,” Cuddy begged softly. She had removed the rest of her clothes and had settled on her back. House’s eyes wandered over her body, and he reached inside the pocket of his jeans to pull out a condom wrapper. “I’m on the pill, just FYI, and I’ve been taking it for a year.” 

But House still wanted to take precautions. Once he had removed his pants and underwear, he opened the wrapper and slid on the condom. 

“Ready?” he asked, positioning himself between her legs. 

“Yes.” She gasped when he started to enter her, then let out a moan when he was fully inside. “Oh, Greg, you feel so good.” 

He started to thrust inside her, wanting to enjoy the time he had with Cuddy. But the Wilson hallucination didn’t go away. 

At that moment, House felt like such a jerk. He was supposed to be thinking about Cuddy because he was with her. But he couldn’t get Wilson’s image out of his mind. 

Cuddy wrapped her legs tightly around House’s waist, wanting him as close to her as possible. He groaned her name as he continue to fuck her, but all he could see in his mind was the image of Wilson under him.

Wilson kept talking in his hallucination.  _ “Yes, you’re filling me up and it feels so good. Don’t you stop.” _

House just continued to thrust, enjoying Cuddy’s moans of pleasure, squeezing her breasts gently. 

“You want me?” he asked, then hit a particularly sensitive spot inside of her. 

“Ohhhh...yes, Greg,” Cuddy moaned, pushing her hips forward. “I want you.” 

She flipped them over so that she was on top, needing to feel him buried deep inside her. 

He tried to focus on Cuddy but all he could see in his mind was Wilson. The man had a hand wrapped around his length and was stroking it as he shuddered in pleasure from House’s thrusts. He had to bite his lip so that he wouldn’t call out Wilson’s name.

_ Why am I thinking about Wilson in this way? _ House asked himself, putting his hands on Cuddy’s hips and pushing her down onto his cock, eliciting a near-scream from her, which made House groan in pleasure from the sensation.  _ I should be thinking about the woman on top of me, not my former best friend. Sure, the man is attractive, but I’ve never thought about him that way until recently. Do I love him? Yes, I do. I love him more than life itself. _

“I’m close, Greg,” Cuddy said. 

“So am I,” House replied, then rolling her onto her back once more so he could pound into her. He could feel some tears forming as thoughts of Wilson filled his mind once again, and he forced himself to keep them behind his eyes. 

_ I’m such a jerk. I drove my best friend away. He was the one person that I could count on to be there for me when I need it. I miss him already...I miss his laughter, our good times together… _

After a few more powerful thrusts, both House and Cuddy came, each saying the other’s name. They laid next to each other for a few moments before House asked if he could borrow her shower. Cuddy told him it was fine and said she was going to get herself something to eat. Before she headed down to the kitchen, she opened the hall closet and pulled out a towel. She then went into the bathroom, set the towel on the counter, and then left. 

Once the temperature was hot enough, House stepped into the shower and let the water run over him. He felt so ashamed because of the thoughts he had while having sex with Cuddy.

_ Why do I feel this way about you, Wilson? _ House asked himself.  _ I don’t know why...all I know is that you were the one best friend I had and now you’re gone. I’ve started to feel things for you that I’ve never felt for another man. I haven’t felt in love since the day Stacy left.  _

He swore that a few tears were threatening to make an appearance. But he held them off and just focused on cleaning himself up. 

Once he was finished in the shower, he stepped out and dried himself off with the towel. He got dressed and made his way back to the bed, settling down to relax his injured leg. Cuddy returned to the bedroom a few minutes later with a plate of cookies and a glass of water. 

“I brought cookies in case you want one,” she said. “Do you want to stay over tonight?” 

“If that’s okay with you, I would like that very much.” 

They laid together in bed for a while, enjoying a few of the cookies and sharing a kiss every so often.

Cuddy left an extra toothbrush on the bathroom counter before heading down to the kitchen to clean up her dishes and put the dessert away. While she was busy cleaning up, House brushed his teeth and then stripped down to his boxers since he didn’t bring a pair of pajamas with him. He crawled under the covers and rested his head against the pillow, turning on his side. A few minutes later, he felt Cuddy get into the bed. She snuggled up next to him.

House wasn’t much of a cuddler, but tonight, he didn’t care. Having her close to him was making him feel less alone and he drifted off to sleep. 

* * *

SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 

When Wilson awoke in the morning, it took him a minute for him to remember that he was no longer living in Princeton. It was the first morning in a while where he had woken up feeling refreshed instead of always feeling drained, even after a night’s sleep. 

He made his way down to the kitchen and opened up the fridge to see what he had for food. Wilson had made a grocery run yesterday but hadn’t gotten much. He still had a few days to himself before starting at the new job. 

He settled on eating some scrambled eggs for breakfast, along with drinking a cup of coffee.

Once Wilson finished with the meal, he cleaned up his dishes and then went back to his bedroom to get changed. As he combed his hair while looking in the mirror, he saw that Amber was in the reflection with him.

_ “It’ll be okay,” _ she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.  _ “I know things are difficult now, but they will get better as time passes. Just know that I’ll always feel something for you.” _

“I miss you,” Wilson replied out loud. He placed a hand over where the Amber hallucination had hers. “There’s times where I still can’t believe you’re gone. I wish you were here.” 

_ “I wish I were too, but I’ve accepted what’s happened. I know you’ve been grieving over me for the last few months, and it’s okay if you want to let me go. He loves you, you know that?” _

“Who?”

_ “Who do you think? House.” _

“He’s not my friend anymore, Amber. And he’s not in love with me. I’m trying to move on with my life.” 

_ “I could tell when I was alive that he felt something for you.”  _

“Don’t talk about him. I don’t want to think about him either. I’m closing that chapter of my life. It’s the only way I can heal. There’s no other way I can go about this.” 

_ “Just remember what I said. He feels something for you and I don’t think that will ever change.” _ The Amber hallucination then disappeared, leaving Wilson alone. 

He looked at himself in the mirror again, deciding to focus on the rest of his day because he didn’t want to think about House, but so far, it wasn’t going well. Trying to move on from a friendship that had been going on for so long was proving to be a difficult task. And now with Amber’s words ringing in his mind, he didn’t know what to think. 

* * *

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008

House had been sitting on the patio of the nearby pizza restaurant, enjoying some bread while waiting for his meal. A tall man with brown hair approached him and House recognized him as the private investigator he had hired the day before yesterday.

“Lucas,” House said. “What can I do for you?” 

“I came to give you information on your friend, Wilson. I haven’t been able to uncover too much but I can tell you that he’s moved out of New Jersey. He’s gone to Long Island. He’s working at another hospital for the time being, it seems,” the private investigator replied. 

Before House could say anything else, the waitress brought over his food and left. After taking a bite of his pizza, he spoke again. “Well, I hope he’s happy with the new choices he’s made.” The sarcasm was present in his tone and Lucas picked up on it right away. 

“You’re not happy about it.” 

“Yeah, you think? I’m upset and angry. He was my best friend for nearly nineteen years and now our friendship is over. But anyway, did you find out anything else? Anything that might indicate he could come back?” 

“I don’t know at this moment, but I will keep digging. I’ll keep searching as long as you need me to.” 

“Thank you for the information, Lucas. I’ll see you next time.” 

The private investigator nodded his head and then turned around to head down the street. House focused his attention on the food in front of him, as well as the information Lucas had relayed to him. 

_ Wilson’s really taking this moving on thing very seriously. He seems to want nothing to do with his old life. Or maybe he just wanted a few days to himself and is ready to start talking again, _ House thought.  _ I’ll try calling him and seeing if he wants to talk. If he doesn’t pick up, I’ll send him a text. _

After finishing a slice of pizza, he dialed Wilson’s number, but his voicemail immediately picked up after the first ring. House decided to try again after he finished his food, figuring that Wilson was probably busy with something. 

15 minutes later, House had eaten the entire pizza - not having taken a lunch break that day - and dialed Wilson’s number again, but the voicemail answered as quickly as the first time. 

House composed a text to him, saying: 

_ \- Just wanted to check in on you and see how you were doing. I miss chatting with you, missing hanging out. Please talk to me, Wilson.  _

But his phone immediately sent a message back, saying that the number he was trying to reach was no longer in service and to try again. 

The horrible realization hit House and in that moment, he didn’t know whether to feel sad or angry. 

He’d been blocked by the one person he trusted the most.

* * *

SEPTEMBER 21, 2008

The loud EDM music was the first thing Wilson heard as he stepped inside the nightclub. He saw a somewhat large crowd out on the dance floor and decided to go to join them. It was almost as if he was back in his 20s and visiting the clubs on weekends while he was in university. Medical school had taken up most of his free time after he had finished undergrad, and he had been unable to go out a lot and have fun, even on weekends. 

But now, instead of hanging out with House almost every evening, Wilson had a lot more time to himself and he wanted to go out and enjoy his freedom.

When he made his way onto the floor and started dancing, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see a somewhat-tall man wearing a suit. 

“Hey there good-looking, want to dance?” the person asked. 

“Sure, why not?” Wilson replied.

The two men started dancing and before they knew it, Wilson was leaning against the man’s chest, pressing his ass into his groin. The man put his hands on Wilson’s hips and swayed back and forth. Wilson was enjoying the feeling, even though it was something completely new. He felt something hard start to poke into his back, feeling a rush of desire go through his body.

Wilson had always wanted to sleep with a man, along with dating one, but spending his time with House and his job made his dating life very difficult. Wilson was hoping that perhaps something would happen tonight. 

The man put a hand on Wilson’s abdomen and pressed his hips against his ass, continuing to dance to the music. 

“Wanna go back to my hotel room?” the man asked, voice low and suggestive. 

“Yeah, I’ll join you,” was the reply. Wilson was so overcome by sexual desire, even though it had been less than a week since he had been with someone. The new job was going to pay well and he liked being an oncologist, but it would still become stressful at times and he needed a way to let off some steam.

He wished he could be in a relationship because he hated being alone, but so far, he wasn’t having much luck finding someone who he thought he could become serious with. 

“Come with me,” the man said. “My hotel is just down the street. I’m only in town until tomorrow so I don’t have much time left here.”

Wilson followed the man out of the club and down to the hotel. Wilson was feeling a bit nervous, wondering where the night was going to go from here.


	4. THREE - Reveal

Five minutes later, Wilson had stepped inside the man’s hotel room. The door had barely closed behind them when Wilson felt lips cover his own. 

He moaned softly at the feeling, having missed this intimacy. The lips on his own felt good and he wanted more.

“I don’t even know your name,” Wilson said after they broke apart.

“Thomas,” was the response. “Yours?” 

“James.” 

Thomas was kissing him again, his tongue asking for entrance. Wilson granted him access, the man’s hands moving down to grab his ass. But when his hands settled there, Wilson suddenly panicked. 

_ What am I doing here? _ he asked himself.  _ Why am I in some stranger’s hotel room about to have sex? I can’t be here. I’ve never even been with a guy, what am I supposed to do? _

“Thomas,” Wilson continued. “I...I’ve never been with a man. It’s a bit overwhelming. I don’t know how to feel about this.”

“Okay,” he responded. “I’ll make you a proposition. How about this? We can kiss for a bit more, and if you’re comfortable, we can go a bit further. If you’re not comfortable, then we can stop at any point. I’m not gonna pressure you into doing things you don’t want to do.”

“Yeah, that works.”

Thomas was back to kissing him, hands cupping his cheeks, tongue asking for entrance once again. Wilson granted him access as they fell onto the bed, with Thomas on top of him. 

Beyond a few makeouts at university parties, Wilson had never done anything else with a man and the feeling of one on top of him was exciting and nervous at the same time.

Wilson’s hands started to roam his soon-to-be lover’s back and at that moment, he felt something hard pressing into his leg. Wilson began to panic a bit, not used to that feeling either. 

“Are you okay?” Thomas asked him, seeing his facial expression change.

“Yeah, just a bit nervous. I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go from here,” Wilson replied. 

“We can take off our shirts if that’s alright. I can go first if you want.”

“Alright.” 

Thomas sat up and lifted his shirt over his head, tossing it aside. Wilson moved his hand up to touch, and Thomas moaned softly when Wilson’s hand grazed his nipple. 

“Oh, that felt good.” He pressed another kiss to Wilson’s lips and started to move his hand under his shirt. “Want me to take it off?” 

“Yes.” 

Thomas slowly took off Wilson’s shirt and tossed it aside, then went back to kissing him.

Feeling another man’s bare chest against his own...it was a new feeling and Wilson was still trying to get used to everything. 

“You good?” Thomas questioned, moving to the side of his neck to place a few kisses there. 

“Yeah,” Wilson continued, running his hands over the smooth skin of the other man’s back and chest. 

They continued kissing for a few minutes, just enjoying touching each other.

“I’m going to move my hand down,” Thomas said. “I’d like to keep going if you want to.” 

“I would like to continue as well.” Wilson nearly screamed when Thomas’s hand grasped his hardening cock. Other than his night with Sarah less than a week ago, no one had touched his cock but himself since the night Amber died, and using his hand was starting to get boring. 

“Does this feel good?” Thomas started to stroke him, running his thumb over the slit.

“Yes,” Wilson continued, arching his back at the stimulation. “Keep going.”

He reached up and grabbed the sides of the pillowcase, fingers tightly gripping the soft fabric. The pleasure he felt was indescribable and he didn’t want it to stop.

“Do you want a blowjob?”

“I won’t turn one down, that’s for sure.” Wilson then gasped when Thomas replaced his hand with his mouth. Wilson couldn’t even remember the last time he had received a blowjob, but the feeling of Thomas’s mouth on him, it was incredible. “Thomas, please…”

The other man just smirked at the feeling of Wilson’s hands in his hair, urging him to continue.

Wilson figured that this wasn’t Thomas’s first time giving a blowjob because the man just seemed to know what to do, knew where his sensitive spots were. The oncologist was moaning and gasping in pleasure, needing more of what Thomas was doing.

A sudden thought went through his mind, and Wilson didn’t know what to think. 

_ It’s not Thomas giving me a blowjob. Instead, it’s House. He’s on the bed and giving me the best blow job I’ve ever had. I don’t just want it...I crave it as much as my need to breathe... _

Wilson shook his head a bit, wondering why he was having thoughts of his former best friend less than a week after ending their friendship. But the thoughts didn’t bother him for some reason. 

Thomas pulled Wilson’s cock to the back of his throat, making the other man gasp out of complete surprise. Not one of his wives or girlfriends had ever done that for him before, and Wilson quickly realized that he liked the feeling and wanted more. 

“Thomas, please, more,” Wilson said, but he felt the tears form because House was in his thoughts once again. 

_ Oh House, you feel so good taking me into your mouth. You’re bringing me more pleasure than any other partner ever could. I don’t just want your mouth on me. I want you inside me, want you to claim me as yours. Every nerve ending in my body would be on fire… _

Wilson whined slightly when Thomas released him from his mouth. He had been enjoying the warmth of the other man’s mouth and was feeling sad that it had disappeared. 

“Do you want to go further? I’m okay with sticking to just this for now. Or I could grind myself on you.”

“That other option sounds good.”

Thomas came back up to Wilson’s mouth and started kissing him again, hands running up and down his sides, every so often coming around to touch his cock. Thomas undid his belt first, then the button and zipper of his dress pants. He stripped off the rest of his clothes, tossing them behind him.

Thomas then straddled Wilson’s waist, aligning their cocks together. For Wilson, it was another new sensation...and it felt good. Thomas began to thrust his cock against Wilson’s, leaving both men gasping in pleasure and wanting more. 

“Holy shit...holy shit...Thomas!” Wilson cried out, feeling his orgasm beginning to approach. “I’m getting so close, I need you.” He put his hands on Thomas’s ass, maintaining a grip there so that the other man could keep thrusting against him.

“James, fuck, I’m gonna come,” the man said, wrapping a hand around both of their cocks and stroking them fast, the pleasure unlike anything else Wilson had ever felt. 

Thomas groaned loudly as his orgasm came over him, spilling into his hand and on Wilson’s abdomen. Wilson followed shortly after and came very hard, not even being able to recall the last time he had an orgasm that intense. 

Thomas laid down next to Wilson, panting slightly. They continued to lay there for a few moments, just enjoying the relaxing effects of their orgasms. The other man got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom to get a towel. He cleaned up his hand first and then gave the towel to Wilson, who then wiped up everything else.

“How was that for you?” Thomas asked him, then placed a soft kiss on his lips. 

“It was amazing,” Wilson answered. “I don’t even remember the last time I experienced an orgasm that powerful.” 

“Want to go again in a bit?” 

“Definitely.”

Wilson checked his email for a few minutes, then started playing some sudoku. 20 minutes later, Thomas kissed Wilson, and they proceeded to have sex again. 

* * *

SEPTEMBER 26, 2008

Wilson was on his lunch break that day when his phone started buzzing like crazy. He saw that he had six text messages on his notifications, wondering why he had so many come through all of a sudden. 

The first two messages were from Cameron, asking him how he was doing and if he wanted to join her and Chase for dinner tomorrow evening. The next ones were from Cuddy and Foreman, also asking him how he was doing and if he was enjoying his new job. The last two were from Thomas. 

_ \- Want to come over tonight?  _

_ \- I’ve been missing your hot body lately. _

Wilson thought back to his first night with Thomas from a few nights ago. It had been wonderful and Wilson was glad it had happened, but he had been wondering if it was a good idea to go ahead with seeing him again. 

However, Wilson had asked himself the same question back on the 23rd, when he visited Thomas’s apartment and then had sex with him. After thinking about the situation, Wilson decided that he would go and see Thomas again since it helped with his loneliness. He answered Cameron’s messages by saying that he was doing okay and that he would see them tomorrow for dinner. He then replied to Cuddy and Foreman’s messages before putting his phone back in his lab coat pocket.

Wilson ate his lunch in silence and once he was finished, he headed back to his office to work on signing some prescription forms. 

* * *

OCTOBER 1, 2008

House had just finished work for the day and was walking over to his motorcycle when he saw Lucas waiting over by it. 

“How’d it go?” House asked. 

“I gotta tell you, House, it’s not looking good for you,” Lucas replied, taking a seat on the bench next to him.

“Spill the details.”

“Wilson seems happy with his life. He’s enjoying his new job at the hospital and his apartment is a small one-bedroom. Recently, Wilson met up with a couple of your coworkers for dinner. He also goes out to clubs and bars after work quite a bit, and it appears he’s seeing someone.”

House’s eyes narrowed. “Who is she?”

Lucas cleared his throat before speaking. “ _ His _ name is Thomas. He’s in his early 30s and works as a lawyer.” 

“He?” 

“Yes, you heard me correctly. Wilson appears to be dating a man. They’ve seen each other almost every night for the last ten days.” 

_ Wilson’s dating men now? _ House asked himself.  _ Well, this is new. In the nearly 19 years I’ve known him, he’s never given any indication that he was interested in seeing a man. _

House suddenly felt a surge of jealousy flow through him. He wanted Wilson to be his, not another man’s.

“I don’t like this at all,” House said. “Something tells me that this isn’t going to last.” 

Lucas looked puzzled. “Are you...jealous?”

“To be honest, yes, I am. I was an idiot and now Wilson’s moving on with his life.”

“What’d you do?” 

“A lot of things. But I think this time, I pushed him too far. He got fed up with my behavior after his girlfriend died and then just left. I miss him so much it hurts. I’d get on my hands and knees if I could and beg for his forgiveness.” 

“Have you tried calling him and explaining this to him?” 

“He’s blocked me.” House paused for a moment. “I just want him to know I’m sorry. I don’t apologize for most things, but this is something I want to apologize for. He isn’t just my best friend…”

Lucas looked a bit puzzled but soon the realization hit him. “But you see him as more than a friend...you want a romantic relationship.” 

“To be honest, yes. I’ve known for a while now that I see him as more than a friend, but it became more apparent after he started dating his most recent girlfriend. I’ve waited too long to tell him how I feel and now he’s seeing someone else and moved on with his life.”

“Is he aware of your feelings for him?” 

“No, he isn’t. I don’t even know if he has feelings for me. I don’t want anyone else but him, and now, I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to make things right. If I’m not able to fix things, I’ll spend the rest of my life alone and wishing that I hadn’t been so stupid.” 

“I don’t know what to tell you, House. I think it will really be up to him in the end. It’ll be his decision to come back to New Jersey as well. Otherwise, I don’t have any other information for you about him.”

House sighed sadly before speaking again. “Thank you for all you’ve done, and I’ll send along the money later this week. But I think, as of now, your services will no longer be needed.”

“I understand.”

The two men shook hands and then Lucas was on his way, while House got onto his motorcycle and placed the helmet over his head. He was left somewhat in shock from what Lucas had told him. 

_ I didn’t think you’d want to date again so soon, _ House thought to himself.  _ But then again, you’re living your own life now. Everything’s up to you. I hope you’re happy with him. _

House just turned on his motorcycle and headed back to the apartment, feeling the loneliness settle in as he stepped inside and sat down on the couch. 

The loneliness didn’t go away, even when he fell asleep that night.


	5. FOUR - Irrevocably

OCTOBER 4, 2008

Wilson was lying on his bed completely naked, his hands tightly gripping the bed sheets. His eyes were closed and his back arched off the bed, his lover’s name escaping his lips. 

Thomas was currently between Wilson’s legs, sucking his cock, while his tongue swirled around the tip. The pleasure flowed through Wilson’s body as he put his hands into his lover’s hair. 

A face appeared behind Wilson’s closed eyes - soft, somewhat pale skin, dark hair, and blue eyes. A shade of blue that Wilson hadn’t seen on anyone else before. It was the face of the man Wilson was so deeply in love with, but someone who wasn’t his. He didn’t know if the man would ever be his. 

Wilson felt his emotions build up inside him as tears started to form behind his eyes. Even though the pleasure was going through his body, the emotional connection wasn’t there. He longed to have that connection again, even though Amber had only been gone for a few months. 

Wilson thought about how his friendship with House had affected his life, and what it had done to his relationship with Amber. Even though Wilson said they were not friends, the romantic feelings he had for him were there. Wilson kept trying to deny the feelings, but House would often appear in his fantasies and while he was having sex.

Wilson felt his orgasm approaching, and as he spilled into Thomas’s mouth, he didn’t scream or moan in pleasure. He realized that he wanted those sounds to only be heard by House.

“Let me fuck you,” Thomas said, after swallowing his lover’s release. He pulled out a condom from his pants pocket and held it up. 

“Please,” Wilson replied. 

Sex had been his only solace recently. He wanted to fill the emptiness that he had. But even though he was in a sexual relationship with Thomas, he still felt alone.

Wilson soon felt Thomas push inside him, a hand on his cock. The pleasure was different from when he had sex with a woman. 

As Thomas fucked him hard, Wilson saw House in his thoughts once again. The oncologist continued to fight the tears forming, because he did not want Thomas to see him cry.

“Come for me, James,” Thomas said, continuing to thrust into his lover. “I can see you’re getting close. Please, baby.” 

Not too long after Thomas had spoken to him, Wilson groaned as his orgasm came over him. 

“You look so beautiful when you come,” Thomas continued, running his fingers through Wilson’s hair. A soft kiss was placed on his lips as Thomas continued fucking him until he came into the condom. He then pulled out and laid on his side, brushing a few strands of hair off of Wilson’s forehead. “That was amazing as always.”

“Yeah, it was.” 

They cuddled for a bit, then Thomas got up and left the apartment, leaving Wilson alone. 

He finally let his tears out, seeing some of them fall onto the pillowcase. 

Wilson thought back to what he had told House right before he left Princeton-Plainsboro. It had hurt saying those final words, and he wondered if House would ever be able to forgive him.

Thinking of the sexual relationship he was currently having made Wilson feel more sad because - for some reason - it felt like a betrayal. 

His feelings for House overtook his thoughts and he said the words out loud for the first time that he’d been wanting to say for a while: 

“I love you, House. I’m completely and irrevocably in love with you.” 

Wilson opened his contacts app and found House’s number, then promptly unblocked it. Wilson hovered his finger over the ‘call’ button, but he decided against it. 

* * *

OCTOBER 11, 2008

After arriving home from work that evening, House collapsed on the couch. Ever since Wilson had packed up his things and left, the apartment felt a lot more empty without him there. House propped his legs up on the couch and leaned back against the armrest, putting a pillow in between it and his back. 

House’s thoughts drifted to ones of his former friend. Wilson’s final words still stuck with him, and they consumed his dreams. 

“I wish you were here, Wilson,” House said out loud to the empty apartment. “I miss you so much. But I’m an idiot. You left because of me and I’ll forever regret that. I wish I could say sorry for all the things I’ve done. I would do anything to get you back. I should have been a better friend.” The tears began to fall as thoughts of Wilson filled his mind again. “I’ve fallen in love with you and I wish you were mine.”

House wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. He then stood up and headed down to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, undressed himself, and stepped inside once the water was hot enough. He stood under the stream, letting the water hit him. The water felt soothing against his aching muscles. He tried to focus on cleaning himself and trying to massage his injured thigh. But Wilson’s image wouldn’t leave him alone.

“I am such a jerk,” House said out loud. “I drove away the one person I truly cared about and now, I’m living with the consequences of my actions. Wilson, I am sorry for the things I said. I am truly sorry, and I wish things could go back to normal. I hope that someday, you’ll be able to forgive me.” A couple of tears were threatening to fall again but House kept them behind his eyes. “I hope that Thomas makes you happy and treats you with the love and respect you deserve.” 

As soon as he stepped out of the shower and started drying off, he became aware of his cell phone ringing. He felt a sliver of hope go through him as he picked up the device, but that sliver disappeared when he saw that it was his mother. 

It wasn’t as if he hated his mom - it was the complete opposite. Even though their relationship wasn’t the greatest, he still loved her. 

“Hello?” he asked as he answered the call. House wrapped the towel around his waist while he waited for his mother to speak. 

“Hi, Gregory,” came the voice of his mother, Blythe. “How are you doing?” 

“I’m okay. How about you?” 

“Not great,” she continued. “Listen, your father passed away earlier today. He suffered a stroke. The doctors did everything they could but his brain had suffered too much damage.” 

House felt a sense of relief pass through him. He and his father were constantly at each other’s throats for years, ever since he was very little. 

“I know you and your father were not that close, but would you mind coming to the funeral? For me?” 

“Fine, I’ll be there,” House replied. “But I’m coming there for you and that’s it.” 

“Thank you, Gregory. I’ll send you the date and time, and I’ll see you then. I love you, son.” 

“I love you too, Mom.”


	6. FIVE - Birthmarks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a chapter I had been looking forward to writing since I started the story! I hope you all enjoy.  
> To everyone who has commented, subscribed, bookmarked, and left kudos, thank you so much.  
> *May contain spoilers - Episode 5x4*

OCTOBER 14, 2008

House had pulled his motorcycle into the parking lot of the funeral home and then put his helmet inside the backpack before slinging it over his shoulder. Once he made his way inside, he was greeted by his mother walking over to him and giving him a hug. 

“Gregory, I’m glad you could make it,” Blythe said. “I know you were strained with your father, but I’m glad you’re here.” 

“Hello to you too, Mom,” House replied. 

“Have you seen James around? I think he wanted to come and pay his respects, but I haven’t seen him.” 

The anger surged through him and he almost started yelling, but he forced himself to not do it. “Don’t mention his name to me ever again.” 

“What are you talking about? You two had a falling out or something?” 

“If you must know, he and I stopped being friends about a month ago. I haven’t spoken to him since he left the hospital. He’s moved on with his life, and so have I.” 

But Blythe had a feeling that something wasn’t right with her son. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

“You’re hiding something,” she continued. 

“No, I’m not. I’m not a child. I don’t have to explain everything to you.” 

“I know that you’re not telling me the full truth.” 

“Just let me get through this damn thing and then I’ll be on my way.”

House walked past his mother and headed into the room where the service was taking place. As he took a seat, he started to feel a few tears pool behind his eyes, but he forced himself to not cry.

Even though Wilson had only been away from the hospital for less than a month, it felt like an eternity to House.

He didn’t know if he could keep living this way. Nearly a month without a word or anything from Wilson was beyond painful. And the feelings House had for his former best friend, they would never go away.

House felt like he was going to spend the rest of his life alone, wishing that he could turn back the clock and admit how much of an idiot he was, having felt like he had lost Wilson for good. House didn’t know if he was going to run into his best friend again, and the thought scared him. 

* * *

Five minutes later, Wilson made his way into the funeral home. He was still a bit in shock from learning that John House had died. Wilson remembered getting the call from Blythe the other day and soon after learning the news, he began to realize that he couldn’t keep living in New York - Princeton was his home.

Wilson turned his phone to silent mode, then walked over to Blythe. 

“I’m glad you’re here, James,” she said, giving him a hug. “Now I don’t know the full story, but when Gregory showed up, I mentioned your name and he got very upset. He said that you two stopped being friends about a month ago.” 

Wilson sighed sadly after Blythe pulled away. “Yes, that’s true. It was so hard in the beginning, and even now, it’s still difficult. I said something to him that I regret saying, and I don’t know if he can ever forgive me.” 

“I’m sorry that you’ve gone through a lot,” she continued. “I think he can forgive you. You’ll just have to talk to him and hope he listens. You always have had a special place in his life.”

“I hope things go well. If they don’t, I’ll just have to keep doing what I’ve been doing for the last month basically.” 

“I have faith that things will go well. Try to talk to him after the service before he leaves.” 

Wilson nodded his head in understanding and then made his way into the room where the service was taking place and took a seat in the back row. 

* * *

After the service was over, everyone made their way out of the room and over to where the refreshments were. House had just grabbed one of the turkey sandwiches when his eyes landed on Wilson pouring himself a glass of water. 

Wilson started to get the feeling that someone was staring at him and he turned his head to the left and saw the face of his former best friend.

Neither man knew what to do at that moment. They just looked at each other, unable to say anything.

They continued staring at each other until House turned around and started walking away. Wilson wanted to stay where he was, but something was telling him to follow House. 

Wilson caught up with his former friend outside the funeral home. The two men were still quiet until House took a deep breath and started speaking. 

“What are you doing here?” House asked, feeling a bit of anger rise up in him.

“I came to pay my respects,” Wilson replied, trying to remain calm. “I was doing what everyone else came here to do.” 

“But you choose now to come back into my life - a day like today? After almost a month of absolutely no contact, including you blocking me, you just show up?” 

“Still being an ass, I see. Glad to know that hasn’t changed,” Wilson continued, sarcasm clearly present in his tone.

“What do you want, Wilson? I’ve moved on, and so have you. At least that’s what the private investigator told me.”

Wilson’s eyes widened at the news. “You’ve had me followed?” 

“We aren’t friends. There’s no trust to be broken there.” 

“I…” Wilson continued, taking a deep breath and then exhaling. “You know what? Forget it. Forget that I even came here. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but here it goes. I haven’t moved on from you.” 

House paused for a moment, not believing what Wilson had just told him. “Oh, don’t give me that crap. You moved on the day you left. Seems like you’re enjoying your new life away from Princeton with your...lover. Or is he your boyfriend? You two serious?” 

“I thought I had moved on from you. But I haven’t been able to. I’ve tried so hard, but I just can’t. To answer your question, he  _ was _ my lover, but we were never that serious. We went our separate ways on good terms a few days ago. I haven’t been serious with anyone since...you know.” 

“Why should I believe anything you say? You’re the one who just dropped everything and left.” 

“Damn it, House, I came back because I regret saying those words to you and I wanted to say that I was sorry.” 

“You think that a simple apology is going to fix weeks of hell that you ended up putting me through?” 

“Oh sure, make it all about you,” Wilson said sarcastically. “Have you even taken into consideration that this situation also affects me as well?”

“Sure, it affects you too.” 

“Not that this is any of your business, but I went through a health scare a couple of weeks ago and I was so tempted to call you and let you know what had happened, but I didn’t. I had nearly gotten pricked by a needle that was given to someone who had Tetanus. I unblocked you this weekend and wondered if you’d call at some point.” 

“I’m supposed to call? How would I have known if you had unblocked me?” House paused for a moment before speaking again. “If you have nothing else to say, I’m leaving. I’m not going to put up with this crap any longer. I can’t take the pain of seeing you and knowing that we aren’t friends.” But Wilson just looked at him, unable to say anything. He looked into House’s eyes, which showed traces of hurt in them. “What?” 

“You idiot, you fucking bastard,” Wilson said. He stepped forward and roughly grabbed onto the collar of House’s shirt, pulling him into a passionate kiss. 

House was caught off-guard for a second, but he found that he couldn’t pull himself away. Wilson’s lips felt so good against his own as his tongue started asking for entrance. When Wilson wasn’t granted permission, he pulled away and looked at his former friend in the eyes, unsure of what to do next. He felt a bit embarrassed at that moment and felt like leaving, wanting to forget what had just happened.

House paused for a moment, then grabbed ahold of Wilson’s tie and kissed him back, cupping his cheeks and tracing his teeth with his tongue. 

House then pulled away and looked at Wilson, who was equally just as surprised. 

“I...I didn’t expect you to do that,” Wilson said. He wasn’t sure if he could have said anything else. 

“I was upset for the longest time, but I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I have feelings for you, James,” House replied. “I have since before you left.” 

“I have feelings for you too, Greg. I just didn’t know what to do with them. It’s partly why I left.”

“Never leave me again.” House rested his forehead against Wilson’s shoulder, feeling the other man bring him into a hug.

“Never again, I promise.” 

They shared another kiss, smiling at each other, relieved that their feelings had finally come to light and no longer needed to be kept hidden.

As they walked back towards the funeral home, their hands continued to brush against one another and it was a great feeling. Right before the two men stepped inside, House quickly grabbed Wilson’s hand and intertwined their fingers for a moment, squeezing his hand gently. 


	7. SIX - Where Do We Go From Here

OCTOBER 15, 2008

Wilson awoke to the sound of his phone’s alarm ringing. He reached over and shut it off, then sat up and stretched, bringing his arms over his head. Wilson then looked over at House, who was still fast asleep, and smiled at him, feeling so lucky to have gotten to see him again. 

Wilson placed a kiss on his cheek, then got out of bed and made his way down to the kitchen. He started opening the cabinets and began pulling out the various ingredients and items required to make macadamia nut pancakes. 

Before starting on mixing the ingredients together, he turned on his music and started singing along to the lyrics. 

Once the batter had been portioned to individual sizes, he sighed contently when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a warm tongue lick behind his ear. 

“Morning,” Wilson said, leaning back into House’s embrace. “Did you sleep well?” 

“I did, actually,” House answered, placing a kiss on the other man’s neck. “And are those macadamia nut pancakes you’re making?” 

“They are.” 

“You’re the best, Jimmy.” He paused for a moment, then spoke again. “I’m going to go take a shower while I wait.” He placed another kiss on Wilson’s neck before grabbing his cane and making his way down the hall. 

As Wilson continued to prepare breakfast, he thought back to last night. 

_ After the funeral was over, he and House had gone to the apartment. They each shared a beer and then watched some  _ Prescription Passion _ for a while. When it came time to eat dinner, Wilson had ordered Chinese food. _

_ Once the food was over, they made their way to the bedroom, where Wilson massaged House’s leg and then cuddled with him, enjoying being close to his best friend. They ended up falling asleep in each other’s arms. _

15 minutes later, the pancakes were ready, along with the bacon. Wilson had also made scrambled eggs for the both of them, along with pouring some orange juice into a couple of glasses. He set the dishes on the table and soon after he sat down, House appeared in his pajamas, his hair still wet from the shower. 

“See something you like?” House asked playfully, taking a seat and then cutting into the freshly-made pancakes.

“You look good,” Wilson said, then took a bite of his bacon. “How about me? How do I look?”

“Handsome.” 

Wilson smirked at him before returning to his food. “I thought we could go down to Princeton today. I’d like to talk to Cuddy about getting my job back. Once things have been cleared with her, I will hand in my resignation letter and start making my way back to New Jersey. The hospital here just isn’t as good as Princeton-Plainsboro.”

“It’ll be good to have you back.” House flashed a smile in his direction, then went back to his pancakes. “By the way, these are great.” 

The two men shared some jokes and flirted every so often as they finished their meals. While Wilson cleaned up the dishes, House went to the bathroom to get ready. Wilson walked into the room a few minutes later to find a shirtless House brushing his teeth.

“Liking the view?” 

“Very much so,” Wilson answered, then headed over to his closet to pick out his clothes for the day. Just as he had grabbed his dress pants and a shirt, House came up behind him and started placing kisses on his neck. “Mmm, Greg, what are you doing?”

“Enjoying you.” Wilson then leaned back against him and moved his neck to the side so that House could keep placing kisses there. He groaned slightly when he felt a hardness start to press into his back.

“Please,” Wilson said, then pushing his ass back against House’s groin. The other man let out a gasp at the feeling, then turned Wilson around to kiss him. 

“What do you want, James?” House asked, leading his lover to the bed. He laid down on his back, allowing Wilson to straddle him.

“You,” was the response before Wilson started kissing him again, gently pressing his groin into his lover’s. 

They continued to make out, hands roaming each other’s bodies, trying to touch any exposed skin.

Just as House was about to slide his hands into Wilson’s pants to feel his ass, the phone started ringing.

Wilson groaned in disappointment, having enjoyed the makeout session. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and answered it. 

“Hello?” he asked. “Oh, hello, Doctor Martinez. How are you? Good to hear. I’m great as well.” Wilson was temporarily interrupted by House licking behind his ear and he had to force himself not to moan. “I can look over those files for you. I can have them done by tomorrow. You’ll send them via email? Great. Okay, thank you. See you tomorrow. Bye.” Wilson tossed his phone onto the bed and then looked at House. “I would love to continue this, but my boss wants me to look over some files, and it sounds like I’ll have a lot to look over.”

Wilson got off of House, grabbed his phone, and then kissed him once more before making his way over to the closet to get a shirt. Once he had selected the one that he wanted, he put it on and then headed out to the dining room to sit at the table. He opened up his laptop and found the email from his boss, which contained 10 files.

House made his way to the living room and propped his bad leg on the coffee table, opening his overnight bag and pulling out a book to read until Wilson was finished with his work. 

* * *

An hour later, Wilson had finished looking through all of his files. He told House that they should get going to Princeton before the day got away from them.

House agreed with him and then they made their way out of the apartment and down to Wilson’s car. Once they got inside, Wilson turned on his music and backed out of his parking spot, making his way out of the garage. After they were on the main road, Wilson tapped a hand on the steering wheel in tune with the song, softly singing along to it. 

As House sat there, he realized that Wilson had a lovely singing voice and smiled at the sight. 

_ It is so good to have him back, _ House thought as they continued on their way towards Princeton.  _ It’s going to be just like old times. However, things will be a little different now since we’re basically a couple. What do we call each other, then? Are we partners? Lovers? Boyfriends? I don’t know. I don’t care what the term is...I just want to be his. _

While at a red light, Wilson pulled up the playlist that had a mixture of his own and House’s favorite songs. The familiar songs put the men in a good mood as they made the somewhat-long drive to Princeton.

“Has Cuddy filled my position yet?” Wilson asked House as he parked his car in the lot. 

“No, she hasn’t,” was the response. “Your cases are still being taken care of by other oncologists.” House then reached for Wilson’s hand and held it for a few moments. “So, how do you want to do this? No one knows that we’ve reconnected. They’ll still think we aren’t friends. And I’ve got the feeling that you want to keep our...relationship...secret for a bit.”

“I would like to keep it secret for now, just because it’s all so new, but I think we would need to inform Cuddy once I return.” 

“Whatever you want to do, I’ll be happy with it.” 

They shared a kiss before getting out of the car and making their way inside the hospital. The front desk receptionist recognized Wilson right away. 

“Doctor Wilson!” she said, a smile going across her face. “It’s so good to see you. How have you been?” 

“I’m good, Tammy,” he replied. “Listen, I would love to catch up, but I am here to speak to Cuddy. Is she in her office?” 

“I believe so.” 

“Send me a text and we can chat sometime.” Wilson held up his phone, then put it back in his pocket. Tammy nodded at him before he and House started making their way to Cuddy’s office. 

“Do I need to be worried about that receptionist?” House asked once they were alone in the hallway. 

“No, you don’t. She’s got a girlfriend. I thought you knew?” 

“Uh, no, I did not.” 

“Well, now you do.” Wilson knocked on Cuddy’s door before entering. “Hi, Doctor Cuddy.” 

The Dean smiled at the sight of her former employee. “Doctor Wilson! How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing okay.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I’ve been thinking about quitting my current job and returning here. I’ve realized that the other hospital I’m at just isn’t as good as here. I’ve made a few friends there, but it’s not the same.”

“If you want your old job back, I’d be perfectly happy to reinstate you. But it’s up to you. And last I heard, you and House weren’t exactly on speaking terms. Is that going to be an issue if you come back?” 

Wilson took a deep breath and exhaled. “We actually met up with each other at his father’s funeral. We talked things out and decided to go back to being friends.”  _ And now we’re also lovers. I’ll never forget when he kissed me back and admitted his feelings, _ he thought. “Things will be okay between us.” 

“Then the job is once again yours, Doctor Wilson. It’ll be great to have you back.” 

“I’m looking forward to it as well. Once I get back to my apartment, I’ll begin the resignation process, as well as moving out. I’ll probably need until the beginning of the month to officially get moved out and have everything settled.” 

“That won’t be a problem. Take your time. I still have your old credentials, so you will be able to use those temporarily until you’re reinstated full-time.” She opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out his badge, handing it over. “Do you want to work a shift this weekend?”

“I would love to. Does Saturday work?” 

“Yeah, that’s fine.” She looked at her watch, then gasped slightly. “Shit! I forgot that I have a meeting to go that starts in five minutes! I will see you on Saturday, and welcome back.” 

“See you then.” 

Cuddy shook his hand before leaving her office. Wilson then rejoined House in the hallway. He had taken a seat on a bench to rest his leg. 

“Is all well?” House asked as he stood up. 

“I have my old credentials back and I should be able to start next month. When we get home, I’ll need to do-” 

“You could be doing  _ someone _ ,” House interrupted, voice low so that only Wilson could hear him. 

The oncologist flushed red before continuing. “House, we’re in public. Why do you say things like that?”

“Because you’re hot.” 

Wilson signaled that they should head outside because he didn’t want anyone to accidentally overhear House’s comments since they wanted to keep their relationship private for the time being.

Once they had made their way into the parking lot and were far enough away from anyone, Wilson started talking again. 

“I’ll need to get started on my resignation letter for the hospital, along with informing the leasing office that I’m moving out. My lease expires at the end of the month, so the process shouldn’t take too long. I’m coming back for good, House. This place is where I want to be. You are my home.” 

They reached the car, where House had pinned Wilson up against the driver’s side door. A hungry kiss was placed on his lips, House’s hands cupping Wilson’s cheeks as his tongue demanded entrance. Wilson granted it slightly, then remembered that they were in a parking lot in broad daylight, where anyone could walk by and see them. 

Wilson pulled away after a few seconds. “Maybe we should wait until we get home.” 

“I look forward to that.” He smirked at Wilson. “I had to kiss you. How can I not?” 

Wilson flashed him a grin before House stepped back and allowed him to get into the car. He made his way to the passenger’s side and took a seat, putting his cane in the backseat. 

They held hands for a bit as Wilson made his way out of the parking lot and towards the main road, preparing to head back to Long Island.

* * *

OCTOBER 24, 2008

House and Wilson were sitting on the couch that evening in Wilson’s apartment with a box of pizza on the coffee table. They had been enjoying dinner together and sharing jokes and gossip from both hospitals. It was almost like every time they had hung out together.

But now, there were kisses every so often, flirting, and some touching through the clothes, which both men greatly enjoyed.

As they continued talking, House suddenly flashed back to the night he slept with Cuddy. He hadn’t told Wilson about it yet because he was unsure of what the other man’s reaction would be. House didn’t want to lose his best friend again, especially since he had just gotten him back less than two weeks ago.

House decided to bite the bullet and confess to Wilson about what happened the night after he left Princeton. 

“I need to talk to you about something. It’s been really bothering me and I haven’t told you because I’m afraid that you’ll hate me for it and want to leave. I can’t lose you again, Wilson.” 

“You’re not going to lose me, House. But if you really want to know, I had sex with two people,” Wilson replied. “One man and one woman.” 

“Thank you for telling me that, though that wasn’t what I was going to say.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “This is really hard, but here it goes. When you and I were apart, I slept with a woman.” But House’s tone of voice changed from worry to guilt. Wilson was wondering what had caused the sudden change.

“Okay? I’m not angry that you did it, but you don’t sound happy about it.”

“I’m not happy. It happened the night after you left Princeton, and I was a wreck. I see her everyday and I think about what happened between us and how I wish things had stayed the way they were. It wasn’t really affecting me before, but now that we’re together, it has because I’ve kept it a secret from you and I’m sorry about it.” 

“Everyday? She works at the hospital?” 

“Yes.” House looked down at the floor before moving his eyes back over to Wilson’s, seeing concern in them. “The night after you left, I went to Cuddy’s and we had sex.”

Wilson went completely silent. He was trying to find the right words but wasn’t having any luck. 

“I regret that night so much,” House continued. “I know it’s something I can never take back and will have to live with for the rest of my life. But what has happened in my past doesn’t matter anymore because I’m with you now and that is all that matters.” 

“You slept with Cuddy?!” Wilson exclaimed. “I just...why’d you do it?” 

“She is the only other person who I’m actually close with. I didn’t want to be alone that night. I didn’t think it was going to lead to anything.” 

Wilson sighed sadly. “I’m not happy that you slept with her, but I’ll be able to get past it eventually. However, now that I know what happened between you two, it’s going to be a bit awkward at work. But I’m not going to leave you because of it. Whatever happened in the past is the past and that can’t be changed. I still feel the same way about you.”

House smiled at his lover. “I’m glad that we’ve cleared that up since it’s been weighing on my chest for a bit. However, I’d like to change the subject a bit. When I’m at work, I’ll be thinking of different things. More specifically, I’ll be having thoughts of certain body parts I’d like to touch.” 

“Is that so?” Wilson’s thoughts immediately drifted from Cuddy to his lover touching him, and the thoughts started to make him aroused. “Why don’t you tell me more?” 

“Well...I’d like to start with this,” House said, pulling Wilson onto his lap, resting his hands on his waist. “Then I’ll move my hand here…” House palmed Wilson’s hardening cock through his pants, making him shudder. “I can’t wait to feel this without clothes in the way.” 

“I want to feel yours too,” Wilson replied. His hand settled on House’s groin, feeling his erection begin to grow under his touch. “I don’t just want to feel it with my hands...I want to take your cock into my mouth and taste it...want to know what you taste like…want to feel you inside me...”

House groaned loudly, his erection quickly hardening at Wilson’s words. House wanted to do all the things Wilson had described. 

“I want you,” House said, placing a soft kiss on Wilson’s lips. But thoughts were going through his mind, and they were causing to panic a bit inside. Wilson was kissing him back, one hand cupping his cheek while the other brushed a nipple through his shirt. “I want you so much. Please don’t leave me…”

Wilson pulled away for a moment, a bit confused as to why House had just said that particular statement. 

“Where is this coming from?” Wilson asked, puzzled. “I’m confused.” 

“I’ve never been in a relationship with a man before. I’ve never even slept with one...I’ve kissed several guys, touched through clothes, and gone on dates with a few of them, but I haven’t done anything else. I’m worried I’ll be terrible in the bedroom because of my lack of experience. I don’t want you to leave me because of it.” 

“Oh, Greg,” Wilson replied, feeling sadness come over him. He placed a reassuring kiss on House’s lips before speaking again. “It doesn’t matter to me about experience. All that matters is that we have each other. We will go at our own pace. I want to be with you, House. I’m tired of going from relationship to relationship and having them end. But with you, I know that we will last.” 

“I love you, James,” House blurted out before he could stop himself. The emotions had started to flow through him and he couldn’t hold himself back. He felt his cheeks get a bit warm because he was feeling so embarrassed. But he wasn’t expecting the response he got from Wilson. 

“I love you too, Greg.” 

“You...you do?” 

“I’ve been in love with you since I left. I started to have thoughts about it not long after Amber died...but I didn’t come to terms with it until I officially left.” 

House immediately kissed him, his tongue exploring every inch of his mouth. Wilson kissed back, his hands roaming House’s back and coming to rest on his ass. 

Their erections were straining in their pants, desperately needing some kind of release. House reached down to undo his jeans, but Wilson put a hand on his to stop him. 

“Wait,” Wilson said. “I don’t want to mess things up. I think we should go slow with this for now. I want to be intimate with you and no one else. But right now, we should go at our own pace.” 

“I don’t want to mess things up either,” House replied before kissing him once more. Wilson got off of him and sat down in the spot he had been sitting before. He opened up the box and took out a slice, finding that the pizza was still warm.

House grabbed a slice and started eating it, placing his free hand on Wilson’s knee and squeezing gently, happy that his lover had accepted what he had done in the past and wasn’t going to let it get in the way of their future together.


	8. SEVEN - Joy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *May contain spoilers - Episode 5x6*

OCTOBER 28, 2008

When House and Wilson arrived at work that morning, they could tell that Cuddy was in a really good mood because she kept smiling more often than she normally did.

“Got laid, perhaps?” House asked her after taking a seat at the conference room table. “Or why else are you in such a good mood?” 

Cuddy narrowed her eyes at him. “No, I didn’t. Stop acting like a teenager.” She waited a few moments before speaking again. “Now that everyone is here, I have some exciting news that I want to share. I’ve decided to look into adoption. There is a teenager who is having a baby soon that wants to give her up for adoption. The teen’s parents have decided that they will not help her raise the baby and she wants to have her daughter go to a loving home.” 

Everyone except House gave Cuddy their best wishes on hoping that the adoption would go through smoothly. 

“Don’t you have anything to say to Cuddy?” Wilson asked his lover. “This is good news.” 

House just remained quiet but then what he said shocked everyone in the room. 

“You would be a terrible mother,” he suddenly spoke, then getting up and leaving. The team didn’t know what to do then, surprised that he had reacted so badly. 

Wilson decided that he would go and follow House. The oncologist found his best friend in his office, sitting in his swivel chair and thinking. 

“What the hell was that?” Wilson asked him after closing the door. “How could you even say something like that?” 

“I wasn’t thinking, alright? You saw me take a couple of extra Vicodin this morning. I can’t even remember the last time my leg pain was that bad.” 

“You owe Cuddy an apology,” Wilson continued. “Go and tell her you’re sorry.” He stepped forward and placed a quick kiss on his lips, making sure first that no one was coming. House had been a bit surprised at the kiss because Wilson had wanted to keep their relationship under wraps for a while. 

House made his way back to the conference room, where Cuddy was currently crying. When she looked up and saw who entered, she glared. 

“Go away, House,” she said. 

“I’m sorry for what I said,” he replied. “I took a couple more Vicodin that I normally do, and it’s affected my thinking.” 

She sniffed and blew her nose with a tissue before speaking. 

“Thank you for an apology, House. I’m still hurt by what you said, and I will be for a while.”

“Understandable.”

* * *

NOVEMBER 3, 2008

It was the end of Wilson’s first full day back at Princeton-Plainsboro. The team were quite surprised to see him back, as well as seeing him chat with House at lunch. But Wilson was welcomed back with open arms and he agreed to meet everyone for dinner one evening to celebrate his return.

Now, he was headed home to spend some alone time with House. They had already gone on their first date a couple of days previous - going to the movies and sharing some popcorn and a drink.

They held hands the entire way home and as they made their way into the apartment. A gentle kiss was placed on Wilson’s lips after the front door was closed, and Wilson immediately kissed him back, almost pinning House up against the door. 

“Can’t stop kissing you,” House said against his lover’s lips. 

“Neither can I.” 

Hands went into each other’s hair while tongues battling for dominance. House groaned when he felt Wilson’s hardening cock press against his own length, then began to place kisses on the side of his neck. 

“I want you to be mine,” House nearly growled as he gently nipped at the exposed skin. “I want everyone to know that you are taken.” 

“Ah,” Wilson gasped after House licked a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. “I’m already yours, Greg.” 

“I want to be  _ yours _ in every possible way.” He paused for a second. “I think we should continue this conversation on the couch because my leg is starting to act up.”

Wilson nodded his head in understanding as they made their way into the living room, where House propped his injured leg up on the coffee table. Wilson began to massage his leg, with House groaning slightly after a small knot had been loosened. 

“Will you be my partner?” House asked him after Wilson had finished massaging. “Partner, boyfriend, etcetera. I just want to be yours, whatever the term will be.” 

Wilson flashed him a smile before answering. “Yes, House. I want you to be mine as well. Boyfriend or partner works for me.” 

Before Wilson could say anything else, a kiss was placed on his lips, a hand gently making its way into his soft hair. Wilson kissed him back, pulling his lover on top of him, but always being careful of House’s leg.

“ _ James _ , please,” House moaned softly as Wilson began to place kisses on the side of his neck and then on his Adam’s apple. Wilson placed his hands on House’s hips and pulled his lover against his groin, eliciting a groan of pleasure when their hardening erections brushed one another. The way House had said his name made Wilson more turned on then he already was. He wanted sex with his best friend - desperately - but he didn’t think it was the right time. Wilson wanted the timing to be just right when they finally made love. 

They continued to make out for a few minutes, hands making their way under the other’s shirts and also briefly palming each other’s erections.

After they pulled away, they looked at each other and smiled softly.

“The right time will come,” Wilson said, cupping House’s cheek to make sure that he knew that a rejection wasn’t in order. “When we do make love, it’ll be the best night of my life.”

They shared one more kiss before breaking apart and then getting up to make their way to the bathrooms to take separate showers. 

* * *

NOVEMBER 9, 2008 

House knocked on Cuddy’s apartment door that evening around eight-thirty PM. She had sent him a text asking him to come over because she wanted to talk about something but didn’t want to discuss it at work. 

She opened the door and then stepped aside to let him enter. She then closed it behind him and he saw that her face was red, as if she had been crying. 

“I’m sorry for what I said to you before, again,” House said to her. “I shouldn’t have said what I said, and for that, I do apologize.” 

“Thank you,” she replied.

They made their way over to the couch, where House put his injured leg on her coffee table to rest it. 

“What seems to be troubling you?” he asked, seeing that she was starting to cry again.

“The adoption fell through,” she continued. “The parents of the birth mother wanted her to keep the baby and she decided to go along with it. The mother wanted to give her baby up for adoption but the parents decided that they would help out, and she decided that she wanted to keep the baby.” 

“You would have made a great mother, Lisa. That baby would have been lucky to have you as their mom.” 

But Cuddy suddenly erupted with anger. 

“You’re going to say that to me after what you said before? Now that I’ve had a breakdown, you tell me this? Why do you do this, House?” 

“I...I don’t know,” he answered. 

There was a brief pause, neither person knowing what to say next. But House was suddenly caught off-guard by Cuddy kissing him. The feeling of her lips on his, it didn’t feel right at all. 

When Wilson had kissed him the day of his father’s funeral, House knew that for the rest of his life, he wanted no one’s lips on his own but Wilson’s. And now with Cuddy’s tongue trying to work its way into his mouth, he gently pushed her off of him.

“Goodnight, Lisa. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. 

“Goodnight,” she replied, very confused.

He grabbed his cane and left, needing to go home and see Wilson. 


	9. EIGHT - Telling Cuddy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please continue to comment, subscribe, bookmark, and leave kudos! Thank you to all who have done so :)

When House arrived back at the apartment, he found Wilson cooking some pasta on the stove. House sidled up behind him and started kissing his neck, wrapping his arms around Wilson’s waist. 

“Mmm, I missed you,” Wilson said, relaxing into his lover’s embrace. “Did everything go alright with Cuddy?” 

“I missed you too,” House replied. “Things were going well with her...that is, until she kissed me.”

Wilson immediately turned off the burner and turned around to face his lover, shock etched into his face. “She did what?!” 

“She just kissed me. I don’t know why she did it. When I realized what was going on, I left and came straight here.” 

“Did you kiss her back?” Wilson asked, a bit worried. 

“No, I did not. I didn’t want to.”

House leaned forward and kissed Wilson softly, cupping his face as he did so. Wilson kissed him back, wrapping his arms around House's neck. 

“I’m not sharing,” Wilson said. “You’re mine.” 

“I’m not sharing either,” House continued. “You’re stuck with me.” 

They shared another kiss and Wilson could feel his lover’s erection starting to press against his groin.

“Do you want to go to the bedroom and continue this?” Wilson asked.

“Not right now. At this moment, I want to pin you to the couch and make out.”

Wilson led him out of the kitchen and over to the couch, settling down on his back. House got on top of him - making sure his leg was in a comfortable position - then grabbed Wilson’s wrists and pinned them above his head with his hands. 

House pressed his lips to Wilson’s, pressing his hardness once again into his groin. Wilson kissed him again, pushing his hips upward, trying to get some sort of friction. 

“I wanna fuck you so badly,” House said into Wilson’s ear, running his tongue along the shell. “When the time is right, I’m gonna tear off your clothes and slide inside your tight ass, feeling you contract around me, hearing you moan and beg for me when I hit that spot inside you.” 

“House, please,” Wilson replied. “I want you so much.” 

“I’ll hit that spot over and over again, watching you writhe in pleasure and have you begging me for more. I want you screaming my name when you cum.” 

“Put your hand inside my pants and touch me, House. Please. I want to feel you.” 

The diagnostician was a bit surprised at Wilson’s request. They had only been dating for about three weeks at this point and Wilson had mentioned wanting to take their relationship slow. Even though they had been friends for nearly two decades, Wilson didn’t want to mess up their relationship by going too fast. They did sleep in the same bed, but when it came to their intimacy, they had only made out and touched each other through their clothes. 

“Are you sure?” House asked. “We haven’t-” 

“Yes, I’m sure.” 

He kissed Wilson again, then trailed his hand lower to reach the button and zipper of his dress pants, undoing them. House pulled them down a bit, just to expose his lover’s hardening cock. 

“Please, House,” Wilson begged. “I’ve been wanting this for a while. Touch me.” He gasped and threw his head back in pleasure when House’s fingers closed around his cock. He started to move his hand up and down, his own cock getting even harder at the sounds Wilson was making. 

House wondered what their lovemaking would be like. He wanted sex with Wilson - he wanted to feel the connection between them, wanted to have his partner close to him. 

However, there was a part of House that wondered if Wilson was making these noises just to please him. House had never given a handjob before and he didn’t know if he was doing a good job or not. 

When he ran his thumb over the slit of Wilson’s cock, the oncologist nearly arched his back off the couch and moaned loudly in pleasure. 

“Did I do something good? Please tell me,” House said. 

“Felt so good, love. Don’t stop,” was Wilson’s reply. 

As House started to move his thumb faster, the oncologist was a moaning, writhing mess. He felt an orgasm approaching and gripped House’s shoulders. 

“House, I’m gonna come,” Wilson continued. “I’m so close.” 

“Then come for me, Jimmy.”

Wilson arched his back and called out House’s name as he came explosively all over his stomach and his lover’s hand. 

“That felt so good,” Wilson said. “When you’re ready, I’d like to reciprocate. I’d love nothing more than to pleasure you.” 

“I would like that a lot,” House replied, then grabbed a few tissues from the tissue box on the bedside table and handed them to Wilson so that he could clean up.

When they had finished, Wilson got up from the couch and made his way into the kitchen, where he tossed the tissues into the trash can.

Wilson made his way back out to the living room and sat back down on the couch, putting an arm around House and resting his head on his shoulder. 

“I love you, Greg,” Wilson said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“I love you too, Jimmy,” House replied, then rested their foreheads together. 

* * *

NOVEMBER 10, 2008

House entered Cuddy’s office the next day. When she saw who entered, she immediately flushed red. 

“Oh...good morning,” she said, still embarrassed from last night’s events.

“Good morning,” he replied. “I won’t take up too much of your time, I just wanted to talk to you.” 

“I am sorry for my actions last night. I was a complete mess and I wasn’t thinking right.” 

“It’s okay.” He paused for a moment, then opened the door. Wilson stepped inside, then stood next to House. “As per hospital protocol, I’m required to inform you if I am dating a coworker, which I am.” He then took Wilson’s hand in his own. “Wilson and I have been dating for a few weeks now. We haven’t told anyone yet because it’s still very new.” 

Cuddy flushed even more red. “Wilson, I am so sorry. If I had known, I never would have…” 

“I’m not upset,” Wilson spoke up. “You didn’t know.” 

“Alright then. I’ll have to inform HR about this, but otherwise, I’m happy for you two. You deserve each other. I assume that your relationship will not get in the way of your job performances?” 

“No, it won’t,” both men said at the same time. 

Cuddy flashed House a playful glare that said,  _ Really? _

House saw her glare and replied with, “I promise, my relationship with Wilson will not get in the way of my job or his. You have my word.” 

“And you have mine as well,” Wilson continued. 

The men turned around and left her office. Cuddy immediately went looking for the HR paperwork and once she found it, she began to write the necessary information down on it. 

* * *

NOVEMBER 15, 2008 

The men were sitting on the couch that evening, enjoying some takeout. Wilson noticed that House had taken another couple of Vicodin right before he started eating and he couldn’t hold anything back at that moment.

“Haven’t you had your maximum Vicodin for today?” Wilson asked him before taking a bite of his orange chicken.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” House snapped. “I took a couple more than I normally do but that’s it.” 

“Why are you taking more?” 

“I said, I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Wilson set his food down on the coffee table and turned to his lover. “Don’t pull that crap with me. We’re a couple now. I care about you, and I assume you feel the same way about me.” 

“Of course I care about you, Wilson. What makes you think I don’t?” 

“You’re taking more Vicodin. You’ve got a reasoning for it but you won’t say what it is.” 

House sighed in annoyance. “Fine! I took a couple more because I didn’t get enough relief from what I had normally been taking. My leg was acting up and the normal enough wasn’t helping, so I’ve been taking a couple extra and it’s been working.” 

Wilson felt his heart drop to the floor at House’s confession. 

“I am not going to let you overdose,” he said. “I will massage your leg and help you out, but I am not going to allow you to take more than the recommended dose.” He got off the couch and settled on the floor between House’s legs, looking up at his lover. “I love you, House. I can’t lose you. You’re not only my best friend, but also the love of my life. You mean everything to me and I’m not going to let you destroy yourself.” 

The tears began to form behind Wilson’s eyes and a few fell down his cheeks. House leaned forward and wiped the tears away as Wilson cupped his face and looked into his cobalt eyes. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” House said. “I’m yours till the day I die. I promise. I’ll keep an eye out for when the pain gets really bad.” 

Wilson stood up and placed a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips.

“And Wilson?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I love you too.” 

They then flashed smiles at one another.


	10. NINE - Last Resort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another episode I had been looking forward to putting my own twist on.  
> Don't forget to comment, subscribe, bookmark, and leave kudos!  
> *May contain spoilers - Episode 5x9*  
> TW:// Non-graphic violence

NOVEMBER 25, 2008

It was like any other morning in the waiting room. Patients were seated and looking at their phones or filling out paperwork. Wilson was over at the front desk signing some prescription forms when a patient walked over to him and demanded that he get a refill on his migraine medication. 

“Sir, we will get to you as soon as possible,” Wilson replied, signing one of the forms. “You’re not an emergency at the moment.” 

On the other side of the waiting room sat a man wearing a gray suit and holding a briefcase. He looked over to the right and saw the door to Cuddy’s office. Seeing that ‘Dean of Medicine’ was written on it, he hoped that he would get to talk to someone. 

When he opened the door and saw a man sitting behind the desk, he became confused. 

“I, um, was looking for Doctor Cuddy,” the man in the suit said. 

“She’s not here right now,” House answered. 

“Do you know when she’ll return?” 

“A few hours? I don’t know. It’s not like she gives me her schedule or anything.” 

The man turned around and left the office, closing the door behind him and making his way back out to the waiting room. He decided that waiting around would no longer be an option as he moved his jacket to the side and pulled out a handgun, holding it at his side. He took a few deep breaths before making his way over to where Wilson was, who was currently finishing signing the last form.

“Come with me, Doctor,” the man said, pointing the gun at his back. Wilson swallowed nervously and stopped signing his form. He asked the nurse to hold onto his files for now, to which she nodded her head in understanding. 

The gunman pointed his weapon at one of the nurses and several patients.

“You all are coming with me, now!” he shouted. “If not, I’ll start pulling the trigger!” He let go of Wilson but kept the gun pointed at the group. “You all are going into the office over there!” 

A minute later, the door to Cuddy’s office was suddenly opened. In stepped Wilson, one of the nurses, and several patients. House looked up from the drawer and saw the worried expressions of everyone in the room, feeling confused as to what was going on. 

“Oh sure, I’d love to help,” House said sarcastically. But then the doors were slammed shut by a sickly-looking man and a gun was pointed directly at him. 

“Shut up,” the man said. “My name is Jason and I want to be seen. I don’t care if I end up in jail because of it. I want the best doctor in this hospital to have a look at me and give me a diagnosis.” 

“Didn’t you want to see Doctor-” 

“I said, shut up. I’m quite sick and I want to know why. The best doctor in this hospital, where are they? I want to see them. If I don’t see them, I’ll start shooting people.” 

House swallowed nervously before speaking again. “Alright, what seems to be the problem?”

* * *

Other than Jason, everyone else in the room was feeling confused as to what they were supposed to do. He definitely wasn’t letting go of the gun anytime soon.

“I’ve been to over a dozen different doctors and not a single one has been able to give me a correct diagnosis because I just am not getting better. I get passed around and it’s almost like I don’t matter! I’m always tired, I struggle to breathe, and I have insomnia, as well as skin rashes. All my medical records are here. Do your damn job and figure out what is wrong with me,” Jason ordered, shoving his folder into House’s hands. “I am going to sit over here and then you’re going to look at the folder. I am not leaving here until I have an answer.” 

Jason took a seat on the chair in her office while House flipped open the folder and began looking through the notes that had been written down by the doctors. He stumbled across an interesting finding and decided to share it with Wilson. 

“I’d like to consult on the files with my colleague, Doctor Wilson. I see something and would like to discuss it with him,” House said. “Are you going to allow me or you going to keep that gun pointed at me the entire time?” 

“Shut up, smartass,” Jason continued. He waved the gun in Wilson’s direction. “You. Go over there and talk to him.” 

Wilson made his way over to House as the folder was slid in his direction. 

“What did you find, House?” Wilson asked his lover. 

“Look at this scan. The chest x-ray. Looks like a tumor of some sort.” 

Wilson looked at the x-ray. “Yeah, looks like it. Date shows that this was a few months ago.” But then he looked down at the notes written by the doctor. “Mass was revealed to be benign after biopsy. Huh.” 

“The patient said he’s suffering from chest pain. What if the doctor made a mistake and whatever this mass is wasn’t benign?”

“Highly unlikely, but we can always run another scan and check things out.” 

Jason started coughing a bit and he said, “My heart is racing and I don’t know why. Either one of you come over and have a look at me.” 

Wilson made his way over to the gunman and knelt down in front of him, putting two fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse. Wilson could tell that Jason’s heart was beating quicker than normal. 

“He’s in tachycardia,” the oncologist said to House. “He’s going to need Adenosine to slow down his heart until we can figure out what’s causing the fast rate.”

“I’ll go and get them,” House replied, but Jason cocked the gun and pointed it at him. 

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Jason spoke. “Doctor Wilson here will go and get me what I need. He will come back quickly with the drugs. You are going to stay here and continue looking over my medical files.” He turned to Wilson. “Go and get what I need. Be quick about it. And don’t even think about telling anyone what is going on in here. I’ll know.”

With shaking hands, Wilson unlocked the door and made his way outside, sweat dripping off his forehead. As he made his way over to a drug cart and unlocked it, he saw Cuddy speaking with a couple of police officers, along with someone from SWAT. He figured that someone in the ER or one of the staff members had called for help after Jason had pulled the people he wanted into Cuddy’s office. 

“Bowman, Sir,” Wilson heard Cuddy say. “What can we do?” 

The oncologist frantically began searching for the drugs that were needed. He also managed to grab two vials of a sedative along with some syringes and a small box of alcohol pads. Wilson was hoping that they would be able to give Jason the sedative disguised as Adenosine to hopefully give everyone enough time to get out of the room and find help. 

Wilson looked at his watch and saw that 30 seconds had passed already, and he figured that if he remained out here for too much longer, then the gunman would probably start shooting hostages. 

Wilson hurried back to the office, locking the door behind him.

* * *

The oncologist made his way over to Cuddy’s desk and set the objects down on it. 

“I brought what we need,” Wilson said. “Alcohol pads, syringes, and Adenosine. I swear that I didn’t tell anyone what was going on.”

“Fine,” Jason grumbled. With one hand on the gun, he used the other to roll up his sleeve. “Get the drug ready and then test it on someone first. I need to know that I’m being given something legitimate.” 

“Jason-” House began. 

“You shut up. Doctor Wilson, give someone the drug. When I see that they react fine to it, I will take the next dose. If you don’t give it to one of these people, I’ll shoot your friend here. Don’t even think about funny business. I would recommend giving it that guy over there - the one in the jean jacket. He’s not sick because he just needs a refill on his migraine medicine.” 

Wilson loaded up the syringe with the sedative because the liquid was translucent - same as the Adenosine. He approached the man - Larry - who raised his hands and started shouting, “You are not giving me that!” 

“Sir, please calm down!” Wilson replied. “I don’t really have a choice here. You’re going to take this drug. I’m sorry that it has to come to this, but it’ll be over soon.”

Larry rolled his eyes before rolling up his sleeve and allowing Wilson to inject him with the sedative. Within 30 seconds, Larry began to feel dizzy and his vision began to darken. After a few more seconds, he fell unconscious and collapsed to the ground, with Wilson catching him just in time before he hit the ground, so that he wouldn’t suffer a head injury. 

Jason’s eyes darkened with anger. He stood up, as did House. 

The diagnostician closed his eyes, wondering what would happen next. 

“You think I’m a fucking idiot?” Jason said, anger seething through his veins. “Is that what you think?” 

“I thought I’d have a little more time,” House replied, opening his eyes. 

Jason glared at him and then cocked his gun, pointing it right at House’s chest.

The diagnostician swallowed nervously before speaking again. “I know that you won’t do anything. You still need me to help you out. And you need Doctor Wilson as well.” 

Jason then pointed the gun at one of the other hostages, who was named Mitch.

“Hey, man,” Mitch said, putting a hand out in front of him. He was now silently pleading with the gunman not to shoot him. 

“Hey, what are you doing? That guy didn’t do anything!” House continued, wondering why Jason was pointing his weapon at one of the other hostages. 

“You’re right, Doctor. I do need you and Doctor Wilson. But I need you to be aware that you cannot screw with me or I’m going to cause a lot of trouble.” Jason pointed the gun a bit lower and then shot Mitch in the hip, stunning everyone else in the room. “Does everyone understand what I’m saying?” When no one answered him, he clicked the gun again. “I SAID, DOES EVERYONE UNDERSTAND?” 

The rest of the hostages all said, “Yes,” while House and Wilson just nodded, looking at each other with nervousness in their eyes.

* * *

Cuddy was pacing in the waiting room, having been startled by the sound of the gunshot. She was unsure if the bullet had hit the wall or had seriously injured someone...or worse. 

She turned to Bowman. “So what now? What can we do?” 

“We are continuing to plan a strategy to get the hostages out,” Bowman replied. “We don’t know what has happened in there. We are going to do everything we can. I can try and contact Jason via your desk phone if you can give me the number.”

Cuddy gave Bowman the number. They both could hear her desk phone ringing, but no one picked up after the sixth ring, to which her voicemail answered.

* * *

Jason was becoming aggravated. His tachycardia was still going on, leaving him feeling a little tired a bit out of breath. Getting Wilson to bring the drugs hadn’t worked, so Jason decided to try something different this time, which he hoped would lead him one step closer to getting an answer.

“You,” Jason said, pointing the gun at Wilson. “Come here.”

“I didn’t do anything!” the oncologist exclaimed in disbelief. “I got the drugs you wanted and brought them here. I didn’t break any rules!” 

“You better shut your mouth before I pull this trigger again. Get over here.” Wilson swallowed nervously as he made his way over to Jason. The oncologist was suddenly yanked into a tight gasp and the gun placed at his side. The other hostages and House were both equally stunned at Jason’s sudden move. 

“You are going to get the drugs that I need,” the gunman said to House. “I’ll give you 30 seconds to get them, or I will shoot this man, no questions asked.”

The physical pain in House’s leg was becoming apparent, but the emotional pain suddenly overpowered him. Other than Cuddy, everyone else at the hospital was unaware that he and Wilson were dating. The thought of Wilson getting hurt by Jason was worrying House and he’d never forgive himself if something happened to his boyfriend. 

“I’ll go get them right away,” House said, then opening the door and heading out to the same drug cart that Wilson had gotten the sedative from. He punched in his code and unlocked the cart, frantically searching for the drugs. He found them, along with two syringes. Just as he was about to head back into the office, he caught sight of Cuddy on the other side of the room with multiple police officers. 

House found himself wondering if he should hurry over to where they were and inform them of what was going on. But he knew that Wilson’s life was hanging in the balance and couldn’t risk anything. 

In the office, Jason announced that the 30 seconds were up and Wilson closed his eyes, preparing to be shot. 

“He’ll come back, I promise!” Wilson begged him, hoping that his plea would buy him time. “Please don’t shoot me! He has to find the right drug. He’ll come back any second!”

A few seconds later - which felt like an eternity - House opened the door and closed it behind him, locking it. 

“I got the drugs you wanted, Jason,” House spoke, showing what was in his hand. “Let Doctor Wilson go and then roll up your sleeve. We’ll get the drugs inside you and it’ll slow your heart down to a normal rhythm.” 

Jason released Wilson from his grasp before speaking again. “No. You’re going to give it to someone else first, like last time. If they react to it fine, then you can give it to me. I don’t want any tricks.” 

“I got you what you wanted. I’m trying to fix you. Why would I give you something that would mess everything up?” 

“I said no tricks. Give it to someone.” 

Wilson walked over to House and took one of the drug vials and syringes. 

“I’ll do it,” Wilson said, tearing open the contents from their wrappings.

“Jason,” House continued. “I promise you that there will be no tricks. But you are the only one who can take these drugs. There could be devastating effects if you give it to someone who’s heart rate is normal.” 

“I don’t care. Someone else takes it first and then I’ll get the second dose.” Jason kept the gun pointed at House the entire time as Wilson prepared the syringe. He tapped it a few times to make sure there were no bubbles, then instructed the nurse - Angela - to give him the injection. She did as she was told and gave him the drug. 

Wilson appeared to be fine for a few seconds after standing up, but he soon fell onto the floor, unconscious. 

“See what happened? You made a perfectly healthy person take a drug that will slow down their heart,” House said, feeling concern for Wilson, wondering if his heart had actually stopped beating because of the Adenosine. “Now roll up your sleeve so I can give you the medicine.” 

Jason used one hand to roll up his sleeve while using the other to keep a hold on the gun. House prepared the second injection, tapping the syringe for bubbles, then gave Jason the drug. After a few seconds, House felt for a pulse and saw that Jason’s heart rate had slowed down enough that it was back to a normal rhythm. 

“Your heart rate is good,” House said. “Now, I need to check on Doctor Wilson and make sure that his heart didn’t completely shut down.” 

“Fine.” 

House made his way over to Wilson, who was still unconscious. 

“His heart rate is 50 BPM,” Angela spoke up, looking at her watch. “We need to get that number up.” 

“Help me get him to stand,” House said. He and Angela got Wilson to his feet and helped him walk over to a chair. The movement seemed to have a positive effect because Wilson opened his eyes and looked around the room. His mind seemed a bit foggy, but then he saw the gun and some memories came back to him. However, he didn’t seem to remember much of what had taken place right before he had given himself drugs. 

“What happened?” Wilson asked. 

“You took a dose of Adenosine,” House answered. “Jason wouldn’t take it if someone else did, so you decided to take it. Your heart rate dropped enough that you passed out. He got the second injection and it sent his heart back into a normal rhythm. Since you and I both think it’s cancer, we’ll need to get him down to Radiology for a CT scan.” 

“You think I have cancer?” Jason questioned, having overheard House and Wilson’s conversation.

“We think so, yes. But the only way we can confirm the diagnosis is with a CT scan.” 

“I’ll release everyone except you two and the nurse,” Jason said to the doctors. “In exchange, I’ll get my scan. But again, no funny business. Or one of you is getting shot.” 

Jason then walked over to the door and unlocked it, keeping his weapon pointed at the hostages. He instructed Angela to go and wait with House and Wilson. 

“Everyone else, you are free to go,” Jason continued. Two of the hostages carried Mitch out of the room first and everyone else followed behind them. After the hostages had left, Jason told Angela, Wilson, and House that they needed to get him down to the room where he would be scanned. Wilson pocketed the remaining vials of Adenosine and the sedative, along with the pads and syringes. Wilson wanted to have it on hand in case Jason suffered another episode of tachycardia. The sedative was a last resort option. If it came down to it, Wilson would inject Jason with the drug. 

As the three coworkers walked out at gunpoint, Cuddy was still with Bowman. She saw the other people coming out and hurried over to them, instructing for a couple of nurses to get a gurney. Mitch was loaded onto it as Angela, House, and Wilson made their way down to Radiology, with Jason keeping a hand on his gun the entire time.

* * *

After getting word from some of the hostages that House and Wilson were down in the Radiology room, several SWAT officers made their way down to the hallway to where the room was. They were prepared to blow open a wall and storm in because they had looked through all of their options and decided that it was the best one. Jason told Angela that she could leave because she was no longer needed. The nurse immediately hurried out of the room and saw the SWAT officers. She informed them of the situation inside before hurrying down to where the rest of the hospital staff was. 

Inside the Radiology room, House told Jason that he would have to give up his gun in order to get an accurate scan. Jason threatened to shoot them before setting the weapon down on the table and then lying down inside the machine. Five minutes later, the scans were completed and Jason immediately grabbed his gun once again, pointing it at the two doctors. 

“You do in fact have more masses on your lungs,” Wilson said. “Doctor House was right. This would definitely indicate lung cancer. We would need more testing to confirm the stage and type of cancer you have, but we have a diagnosis.” 

Jason appeared to look relieved. “Well...thank you for finally giving me the answers I’ve been looking for all this time. But unfortunately, I’m not done yet. Doctor Wilson, you are going to take the rest of the drugs in your pocket.” 

“It’ll kill me,” Wilson replied. “The drugs were for you. You haven’t suffered another tachycardia episode since we gave you the first dose. Even if you were to take another dose, you would suffer as well. These drugs can’t be given to healthy people.” 

But Jason wasn’t listening to him. He stepped closer and pointed the gun directly at Wilson. “I said, take the rest of the drugs. I won’t ask you again.” 

Wilson felt the tears forming as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the sedative, loading up the liquid inside a clean syringe. 

Outside the room, SWAT had just finished setting up the explosive devices on the wall and were about to press the button to signal a countdown. The explosives would go off in ten seconds after the button was pressed. The SWAT leader pressed the button and got his gun into position. 

Wilson was holding the syringe right over his arm but hesitated injecting himself.

“I don’t want to die,” he said quietly. “Sometimes, you just need to trust people. We have told you nothing but the truth.”

“Inject it, you idiot!” Jason snarled. 

Wilson brought the needle right above his skin and was about to insert it when there was the sound of a loud bang.

* * *

The wall was blown open, pieces of insulation and drywall flying all over the place. Both Wilson and Jason fell to the ground from the blast, the gun skidding far away from him. SWAT officers entered the room through the hole in the wall, guns pointed in front of them. They approached Jason and one of the officers kept their gun on his back as another officer arrested him. Jason was promptly stood up and taken out of the room. Once he had been removed, House walked over to Wilson. He was still on the floor but conscious.

House knelt down beside his boyfriend as best as he could, brushing a bit of his hair to the side. 

“You okay?” House asked, then taking Wilson’s hand in his own. 

“My ears are ringing, but otherwise, I’m surprisingly okay,” the oncologist replied. House helped him to stand up and then, in that moment, he no longer cared if people saw them together. What mattered to him now was that Wilson was alive and Jason was going off to jail. 

House kissed Wilson hard, putting a hand in his hair. Wilson was temporarily caught off guard because he wasn’t expecting a kiss from his lover, but he kissed back, happy to be out of this dangerous situation.

Cuddy had just stepped into the room to check on her employees but stopped short as House and Wilson were passionately embracing. 

She smiled, happy that House was in a relationship with someone who truly loved him.


	11. TEN - Intimacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have a scene that you would like to see in the story/series, drop it down below in a comment. I will do my best to include it in this story or perhaps a separate one-shot collection.   
> Quick story note: Kutner and Taub will appear later on. In this story, they do not appear in the previous seasons and will instead begin their jobs at PP at a different point in time.  
> Thank you for all the continued kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks, and comments! Please continue to do so :)

DECEMBER 6, 2008

When lunchtime rolled around that day, House and Wilson took their seats at their normal table in the canteen. Wilson ordered a chicken sandwich while House got a bowl of spaghetti.

Wilson would still pay for House’s lunches a good deal of the time, but the other man had started to pay for meals and had even covered Wilson’s lunches a few times. 

Once they were seated, House began to whisper a few suggestive comments in Wilson’s direction, making the other man flush red. 

“We’re in public,” Wilson spoke up, then taking a bite of his sandwich. Once he swallowed, he spoke again, lowering his voice. “If there weren’t anyone around, I’d pin you to the table and make you come with my mouth.” 

House swore under his breath. “You are naughty.” 

Wilson smirked at him before returning to his food. When he was about halfway through the sandwich, he asked House a question. 

“Want to order in some food tonight?” 

“Yes,” was House’s reply. “Sounds like a plan. What are you in the mood for to order in?” 

“Mexican?”

“That would be good; I haven’t had any Mexican food for a while.”

After the men finished their meal, House had to go make up some clinic hours while Wilson needed to do patient rounds. It took Wilson a good couple of hours before he could return to his office and have some peace and quiet.

* * *

Around three PM, Wilson was working on some files. He thought about the evening’s plans, and it made him feel a little anxious. 

He wanted to see if perhaps they would go a little further intimately, but the idea worried him somewhat because it had been a while since he had done things. All he had to refer to were his times with Thomas, which seemed like an eternity ago. Wilson was unsure if House would even want to do much more than handjobs because he hadn’t mentioned anything about it. Sure, they had flirted during lunch and House seemed to like the idea of Wilson pinning him to the table and using his mouth to make him come, but he didn’t know if House was seriously considering it. 

It would be quite an adjustment if House didn’t want to do much in the bedroom, but Wilson wanted to be with him and would accept what he could do. 

However, if House wanted to do other things, Wilson was afraid that he wouldn’t be good enough for his lover. Wilson wanted to make House come undone and beg him for more.

The oncologist had to take a step back and tell himself to breathe and that everything would be okay. 

* * *

House and Wilson stepped through the apartment door a few hours later. Wilson had barely shut and locked it before House was kissing him. Wilson immediately kissed back, leading them over to the couch. House laid down on his back and had Wilson straddle him. Wilson’s hands were roaming his lover’s body, feeling House’s erection start to press into his hip. 

Now a little over a month into their relationship, they were still being slow with intimacy. They had just been sticking with makeout sessions and handjobs. 

But tonight, Wilson wanted to try something new and he hoped that House would be okay with it. 

As they continued to kiss, Wilson’s hands moved down to House’s belt. He unbuckled it and tossed it to the side, then reached for the button and zipper of his jeans. Pulling them down to his ankles, he wrapped a hand around House’s cock, hearing him groan in pleasure at the feeling. 

“I want to try something different,” Wilson said. “I’d like to try giving you a blowjob. Do you trust me?” 

“With my life,” House replied. He saw Wilson move further down his body until he was comfortably settled between his legs.

“I want to give you pleasure.” Wilson licked a single stripe up House’s cock, wanting to see how he reacted to it. House groaned softly and then Wilson did it again. “Want me to stop?”

“No, keep going,” House continued. “Feels good.” 

Wilson took the tip into his mouth and flicked his tongue over the slit. At that moment, House grabbed ahold of Wilson’s hair with one hand, then gripped the side of the couch cushion with the other. House couldn’t even remember the last time someone had given him a blowjob, but he knew that it had been a while. 

The feeling of Wilson’s mouth around him, it was incredible and unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Even though House knew he had been bisexual since he was in college, he hadn’t gotten the chance to truly be intimate with a man. But now, it didn’t matter to him that he was still a bit inexperienced. All he wanted in that moment was to keep feeling Wilson’s mouth and fingers on him. It felt great to have someone give him pleasure instead of always having to use his hand. 

Wilson rolled House’s balls between his fingers, with House moaning incoherently and just feeling nothing but pleasure going through his body. Wilson pulled away to apply a few gentle licks to the slit, feeling some drops of pre-come fall on his tongue.

“Yeah, you like that, don’t you?” Wilson asked, then going right back to sucking him off. 

“Please,” House nearly whimpered. “Jimmy…” He began to grip the cushion tighter because the pleasure was just too good.

Wilson kept going back and forth between licking and sucking, driving House closer to the edge. The familiar feeling was building in his spine and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he came. 

“I want to taste you, Greg,” Wilson said after pulling away again. “I want you to come in my mouth. I can tell you’re close.”

With one final movement of him taking the tip into his mouth, House came, nearly screaming Wilson’s name as he spilled his release. The oncologist grimaced a bit at the taste because it was a bit unfamiliar, but he still swallowed anyway. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then came up to House’s eye level, placing a soft kiss on his lips. House could taste himself on his lover’s tongue. 

“How was that?” Wilson continued. He felt a bit unsure of how he did because it had been a while since he had given a blowjob. 

“It was amazing,” House answered. “The last time I got one of those was many years ago. But I’m hoping this can happen on a regular basis?” 

“I’d be happy to.” Wilson kissed him once more. “I’m glad you let me be your first in that department.” 

“And I’m glad too.” 

“You don’t have to repay the favor tonight. When you’re comfortable, we can take that step.” 

House kissed him hard, tongue asking for entrance. He would never get tired of Wilson’s kisses - they were full of love and security and they always reassured him that he was loved.

Wilson gently brushed his fingers against his lover’s sensitive cock before bringing them up to cup his cheeks as they lay there, enjoying being with one another. 

* * *

DECEMBER 13, 2008 

House had been working in his office when the door opened and in stepped his mother. 

“Hi, Gregory,” she said. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” 

“I’ll have to go assist with a surgery in about half an hour, but otherwise, I’m not doing anything now,” House replied, standing up and walking over to his mother to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “How are you doing, Mom?” 

“I’m doing okay.” She hugged her son back. 

They walked out of his office and then House spotted Wilson over at the front desk, signing some forms. 

“I’m seeing someone now,” House said to his mother as they got closer. Wilson perked up from his forms and turned to look at his boyfriend. “They’re perfect, sexy, and very intelligent.” He turned his attention to Wilson. “Come over here for a second.”

Wilson set his pen down and walked over to House, who was surprised when he put a hand around his waist. 

“Mom, I’m dating Wilson,” House continued. “We’ve been seeing each other for over a month now.” 

Blythe smiled at her son. “Well, it’s about time! I’m happy for you two.” 

“About time meaning what?”

“I’m not that naïve, you know? I see things. I can tell you two have had something building up for a while now. Are you two happy together?” 

House and Wilson looked at one another, then smiled. 

“For the first time in such a long time, I’m finally happy,” House continued. 

“The feeling is mutual,” Wilson answered. “After all those troubles I’ve had in the past with previous relationships, I’m finally in a stable one. It’s been years since I was truly happy.”

Blythe leaned forward and hugged Wilson gently.

“Don’t hurt my son,” she said.

“Never,” Wilson answered, hugging her back. “You have my word.” 


	12. ELEVEN - Dinner With the Wilsons'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could be sensitive for some readers in a few sections, so please just read with caution.

JANUARY 16, 2009

Wilson was working in his office that afternoon when his cell phone started ringing. He wondered who was calling him at this time of day, especially since he was still on the clock.

“Hello?” he answered. 

House had been sitting on the office couch and sat up at hearing his boyfriend speak into the phone. 

“Oh, hi Mom,” Wilson continued. “How are you?”

“I’m doing good,” Mrs. Wilson said on the other end of the line. “You?” 

“Same.” He paused for a moment before speaking again. “I’m at work currently. I’d love to talk some more but I’m going to need to go.” 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you were busy right now. I’ll make this quick. I’m going to cook some steaks tomorrow. Want to come over for dinner?” 

“Hold that thought. Give me one second.” 

Wilson picked up his notepad and wrote in Sharpie, ‘Want to come over to my parents’ place tomorrow?’ He held it up so that House could see it. The other man nodded yes, and then Wilson started speaking into the phone again. 

“I would love to. Listen, I know you just invited me, but would it be okay if I brought House along with me? I think it would be better that he comes along since I have an important announcement to make.” 

“Okay then,” Ava said. “I’ll see you then. I love you.” 

“I love you too, Mom.” 

Once the phone call ended, Wilson turned to his boyfriend. “I’m going to need your support tomorrow. I haven’t told my parents about us yet. I haven’t even told my parents I’m bi.” 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” House asked, surprised at what his boyfriend had just told him. “I can come over another time and do this when you’re ready.” 

“No, I should do this. I don’t want to keep my relationship with you a secret.” 

“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.” 

They shared a kiss, House cupping his lover’s cheeks before telling him, “I love you.” 

“I love you too, Greg.” 

* * *

JANUARY 17, 2009

They sat in the car outside Wilson’s parents place, feeling a bit nervous about the evening. House was worried that Wilson would be disowned by his family and he would never forgive himself if that happened.

“Are you doing okay?” House asked him, seeing Wilson look a little anxious. 

“Yeah, I’m just a little worried,” Wilson answered. “I’m ready to tell my parents about us but I’m a bit concerned that they might disown me or something. They’re a bit more traditional.”

“Regardless of what your parents say, I’m staying with you,” House continued. “I am not going anywhere and I will be here for you no matter what.”

“You really mean that?” 

“Of course I mean it. You’re my boyfriend, Jimmy, I’m with you through thick and thin.” 

They shared a kiss before getting out of the car. Wilson locked it as they made their way up to the front door, not holding hands or anything. 

Wilson knocked on the door and soon after, he was greeted by the sight of his mother, Ava. 

“Jimmy!” Mrs. Wilson said. “Please come in. It’s so good to see you! And you as well, Greg. Good to see you too.” She stepped aside to let the men enter. “Benjamin! They’re here!” 

A tall man emerged from the hallway and walked over to the group. 

“Hi, son,” Benjamin said. “And hello, Greg. Good to see you both.” 

“Dinner will be ready in just a minute,” Ava continued. “I just need to put the butter on the steaks.” She walked into the kitchen while Benjamin took House and Wilson’s coats and hung them up in the closet. 

“How have you been?” Mr. Wilson asked his son. “Work been treating you well?” 

“I’m good. Work is going well. I think I told you that I returned to Princeton-Plainsboro?” 

“No, you did not. I thought you were still in Long Island, working at that other hospital.”

“My bad, then. I’m sorry for not telling you. I started back at Princeton-Plainsboro at the beginning of November. I realized that moving to New York was something that I needed to do at the time, but it was not a place that I could keep living in. My home is here, in Princeton.” 

Ava poked her head in and said, “Dinner’s ready.” 

The men made their way into the dining room and took their seats, mouths beginning to water at the smell of freshly-barbequed steak. 

Everyone served themselves and began to eat the food Ava had cooked. No one really said anything because they were enjoying the meal. But Wilson looked over at House, giving him a silent nod. House understood that Wilson was ready to tell his parents about them. Since they sat on the same side of the table, it wasn’t difficult for Wilson to take House’s hand in his own. The diagnostician squeezed gently, reassuring him that it would be okay.

Wilson took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking.

“Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you,” Wilson said to his parents. “I brought Greg over here tonight for a special reason. Not only is he my best friend...but now he’s my partner. We’ve been together for just over two months.” 

Both parents just stared at their son, shocked at what they heard. Then they looked at each other, not knowing what to say. 

“I realize that I love men in the same way in the same way I love women. I’m proud to be a bisexual man and that’s not going to change,” Wilson continued, then letting go of House’s hand, taking a sip of his water and going right back to his food. House cut into his steak and took a bite of it, unsure of where things would go from here. 

“Um...well...thank you for telling us this,” Ava spoke up after she finished chewing her bite of potatoes. “Just know that you will always be welcome here and that I love you, son.” 

“Dad?” Wilson said, noticing that his father was still remaining quiet. “You haven’t said anything. Are you okay?” 

“I...um...I’m going to need some time,” Mr. Wilson replied. “I just remembered that I needed to respond to a few emails, so I am going to finish my dinner in my office. In a little while, I would like to speak to you.” He promptly stood up from the table and grabbed ahold of his plate and silverware, then left the room. 

Wilson felt a few tears start to form behind his eyes. He was trying hard to keep them back but they started to fall. 

“Jimmy, don’t worry about your father right now,” Ava said to her son. “He will come around eventually. He loves you. Don’t forget that.” 

“Maybe I should have brought it up at a different time instead of tonight,” Wilson replied. “Dad’s going to hate me.” 

“No, he won’t. Like I said before, Jimmy, your father does love you. And that will never change.”

The rest of the meal was quiet and a bit awkward. House didn’t really know what to say at that moment. Sure, he had met Wilson’s parents in the past, but the situation was different now because of the direction his relationship with Wilson had taken.

House helped Wilson and Ava clean up the dishes once the meal was over and then everyone made their way out to the living room. 

House and Wilson sat on the loveseat, with the oncologist leaning his head against House’s shoulder. Ava stood up and decided to go and get her husband because she thought it would be a good idea to clear some things up. She walked down the hall and knocked on his office door, telling him that dinner was over and that he should come out and talk to Wilson.

Ava returned to the living room and sat down on the couch again. After a few minutes, everyone could sense some tenseness in the air. Wilson looked over towards the hallway and saw his father standing there. 

* * *

There was an awkward pause as Mr. Wilson entered the room. He still remained quiet as he sat down on the couch next to his wife. 

Wilson was unsure of where things would go from here because he didn’t know what his father was going to say. 

“Ava, could you give us a moment?” Mr. Wilson asked. “I’d like to speak with James privately.” 

“Okay,” she replied. “Greg, would you mind coming with me?” 

House gently squeezed his lover’s hand before getting off the couch and heading down the hall with Ava.

Wilson felt nervous, wondering if his father would yell at him or perhaps even disown him. 

“Son,” Mr. Wilson said. “I am sorry for the way I acted tonight. I was just caught off guard when you told me your big news. You’re my son, James, and I will always love you no matter what. You know that, right?” 

“Yes, I do.” 

Wilson was stunned at how nice his father was being.

“What matters to your mother and I is your happiness. If Greg makes you happy, then that’s what’s important. Your relationship with Greg doesn’t change how I feel about you. You will always be my son, and this door will always be open for you to come in. I am not against your relationship but I will need some time to adjust to it.”

“I love you too, Dad. I do want you to accept this,” Wilson said, still trying to fight back tears. “I don’t want it to come to a point where I am going to have to choose between my boyfriend and my family.” 

“It won’t get there, I promise. I got a bit upset because I was thinking about grandchildren. Your two brothers haven’t managed to get their lives on track yet. You’re the only one who’s got a stable career. Have you and your...boyfriend...discussed children? Or marriage, perhaps?” 

“We haven’t gotten to that point yet because things are still so new, but when the time is right, I will bring it up with him. There are many children out there waiting to be adopted by loving families and I would love nothing more than to adopt one. If Greg were to become my husband, you’d be okay with it?”

“The question that should be asked is, does he make you happy, son? Do you love him?”

“I’ve never loved anyone like I love him. He makes me happy.”

“Then I’m content. If you and Greg were to marry, I’d be fine with it. You’re a grown adult, James. You are perfectly capable of making your own decisions.” 

Ava came down the hall with House following right behind her. 

“Everything okay between you two?” she asked. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Wilson said. “We were just chatting. But since House and I both have work in the morning, I think we should head on out. Thank you for having us over for dinner tonight. We should do this again sometime soon.” 

“We would love that very much, Jimmy.”

“I love you both.” Wilson hugged his mother goodbye, then his father.

House said a formal goodbye to Wilson’s parents before following him out of the home.

Once they were in the car, they shared a kiss and then Wilson turned on the ignition, backing his car out of its spot and making his way onto the street. 

* * *

“So...Ava...we learned something new about our son tonight,” Mr. Wilson said to his wife once they settled on the couch to watch some TV. “How are you feeling about the whole thing?” 

“I’m happy for him, Benjamin,” Ava answered, then taking a sip of her hot apple cider before continuing to speak. “He seems like he is truly happy with Greg.” 

“Maybe this relationship will last longer than his marriages,” Benjamin continued. “For once, I’d like to see our son settled down with someone and have the relationship last.” 

“When James told us he was bisexual, I kind of saw it coming. I had a feeling this would happen.” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“We’ve known Greg for what, 15 years? No...18, actually. They would always spend time together outside of work. Ever since Stacy, I’ve never heard about him being in other relationships. After James’s second marriage failed, I started to wonder if he was straight. I truly do wish nothing but the best for James and Greg and I hope they have a wonderful life together.” 


	13. TWELVE - All of Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A hard 'E' rating for this chapter due to the last section.   
> Was going to post this chapter on Saturday but I just couldn't resist posting it today.   
> Please enjoy!

FEBRUARY 14, 2009

Sunlight was streaming through the blinds that morning as Wilson woke up. He cursed a bit for forgetting to shut the blinds before he went to sleep. 

He looked over and saw House sleeping peacefully, with Wilson leaning down to brush a few strands of hair off his forehead. 

“I love you,” Wilson whispered to him, taking his hand and squeezing gently. Wilson then stretched before getting out of bed and making his way down to the kitchen, planning to make a batch of macadamia nut pancakes for breakfast that morning.

House awoke about ten minutes later and noticed that the bed was empty. He became aware of a wonderful, yet familiar smell and decided to go and investigate. 

House walked into the kitchen to find Wilson cooking at the stove, still dressed in his pajamas. 

“Morning,” House said. Wilson turned around and smiled at his lover. 

“Morning,” was the reply. “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. Happy Valentine’s Day, Greg. I know you’re not big on holidays or whatever…” 

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well.” 

Wilson was a bit surprised that House had reciprocated, and then placed a kiss on his lips. Wilson then returned to the stove to make sure the food didn’t burn. After a few minutes, he saw that the pancakes were done cooking and plated them, then set the food down on the table, along with silverware. 

Breakfast was a somewhat quiet event as both men enjoyed the food. Once they were finished, House asked, “That was delicious. Are there any more?” 

“Unfortunately, no. I used all the batter for this batch. Next time, though, I will make extra.”

House stood up and took Wilson’s hand in his own, pulling him in for a kiss. Wilson granted him access as they continued to make out, with House pulling his groin against his own. 

“Ah, House,” Wilson moaned at the sudden contact. “What are you doing?” 

“Showing that I want you.” 

“I want you too, but I think we’re going to be late for work if we keep this up.” 

House playfully glared at him before backing away. “I don’t think Cuddy would mind if we were a few minutes late.” 

“Based on the other night’s activities, we would definitely be more than a few minutes late since you’re the one who couldn’t keep your mouth off my cock.” 

“What can I say? I like pleasing my lover. And you also couldn’t keep your mouth away from mine either, so you shouldn’t be complaining.”

“Oh, I certainly am not complaining about that.” 

They shared one more kiss before House stepped away to get dressed for the day and Wilson cleaned up from breakfast. Once all the dishes were in the dishwasher, he made his way to the bedroom and found House putting on his leather jacket. 

“Hey there, good-looking,” Wilson said, stepping inside and stripping off his pajamas, leaving him in just his underwear. House’s eyes darkened slightly at the sight, enjoying what he saw. 

“This I like,” House said. “If we weren’t going into work, I’d want to take you to bed.” 

“I would like that very much.” 

Wilson walked over to his side of the closet and picked out what he wanted to wear. After he got dressed, he put on a tie, to which House insisted on tying.

“I have plans for us tonight,” the diagnostician said. “I booked us a dinner reservation for six PM. We’re going to that new Italian place that you’ve been wanting to try for a while.” 

Wilson flashed a smile at House, feeling a slight blush come over his cheeks.

* * *

Work was pretty uneventful that day and it seemed to go by fast because Wilson knew what was happening after his shift was over. 

House met Wilson in his office at 5:30 that evening and then they said goodnight to the team, signed themselves out for the day, and headed out to the parking lot. House ended up driving them to the restaurant, where they ended up sharing a meat lover’s pizza for their meal. Wilson had no idea how House had managed to get a reservation for the place since it was quite busy, but he was grateful that they got to enjoy a good meal together. 

“Want to have dessert here or at home?” House asked after they had finished eating their pizza. 

“Home,” Wilson answered. “I might not even be hungry for dessert, but we’ll see.” 

House paid for the meal while Wilson packaged up the extra bread in a to-go box, deciding to make a sandwich out of it for lunch tomorrow. 

“Did you enjoy your food?” House continued after his credit card was brought back to the table. 

“Very much so. I’ll definitely want to eat here again.” 

Once the food had been packaged up, they left the restaurant, holding hands all the way to the car, not caring who saw them.

* * *

The drive back to the apartment seemed shorter than normal because of almost no traffic on the road. After only 10 minutes, House and Wilson were making their way inside, with Wilson closing and locking the door behind them. 

“Are you hungry for anything else?” the oncologist asked. “There’s some ice cream in the fridge but that’s about it.” 

“Sounds good,” House answered. He sat down on the couch and propped up his legs, beginning to massage out a small spasm in his injured one. Wilson entered the room a few minutes later with two spoons and bowls of vanilla ice cream. He handed one to House, who immediately accepted the food. After taking a few bites of the ice cream, he swallowed a Vicodin to help out with the minor spasm. 

Once they had finished eating, Wilson carried their dishes into the kitchen and rinsed them with the faucet before placing them in the dishwasher.

“Can you believe that we’ve been together for almost four months now?” Wilson asked as he closed the dishwasher lid and set the wash cycle.

“No, I can’t,” House replied. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to see or hear from you again after you left. So you coming to my father’s funeral that day was a second chance for me and I knew I couldn’t fuck up that chance I’d been given.” 

“You’re the most important person in my life, Greg. I couldn’t let you go. If you weren’t in my life, I don’t know where I’d be right now.” 

House leaned forward and kissed Wilson, wrapping his arms around his waist and tasting the remnants of vanilla in his mouth. Wilson kissed him back, nearly pushing him against the kitchen counter. 

Wilson groaned and threw his head back when House’s hardening erection started to press against his groin. Wilson wanted to take the next step and finally consummate their relationship. After nearly 19 years of friendship and almost four months of dating, he felt that it was finally the right time. He wanted to know what House would feel like inside him. Wilson was hoping that House was on the same page. However, if he wasn’t, Wilson would be fine with it and they could always try again another day. 

“Are…are you wanting to have sex tonight?” Wilson asked, looking into House’s eyes, hoping that he hadn’t been too blunt about it. 

“Do you?” House asked. 

“I would like to, but if you’re not ready, that’s okay.” 

“I want to try. You might have to help me out, though. You have condoms, yes, in case we decide we want to use them?” 

“Yes, of course. Though I’d like to share something with you.” House then looked at his lover with concern, wondering what he was going to say. “During that time where we weren’t on speaking terms, I used a condom with both partners I had been with. When it came to being on the receiving end - even though it was only a couple of times - I had my partner wear a condom as well. I wanted to be safe. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve never had anal unprotected.” 

“Never?” 

“Nope.” Wilson paused before continuing. “I thought it would be good if you know. If you want to use condoms, I would be okay with that too. I’m ready for this step but if you’re not, I understand. I just want to have all options be available.” 

House’s eyes darkened with lust. “Go to the bedroom and get on the bed. I want to fuck you tonight.” 

Wilson just smirked at him and made his way down the hall. He nearly flopped down on the bed with House following not too far behind. 

House climbed on top of Wilson - being careful of his leg - and started kissing him, tongue asking for entrance. Wilson granted him access, kissing House back and moving his hands down to rest on his ass. Their erections brushed against one another through their clothes and both men let out simultaneous moans at the contact. 

“I want you,” House continued, moving his lips to Wilson’s ear and beginning to suck gently on his earlobe, still thrusting his hips forward to keep up with the friction. Wilson moaned softly as he reached down to undo the button and zipper of House’s jeans. They came undone easily, allowing Wilson to pull them down House’s legs and toss them aside. 

“Get those briefs off,” Wilson nearly demanded. “You shouldn’t be wearing those.” He desperately wanted his own pants off, wanted to feel House’s cock against his own with no barriers in between. 

“So demanding,” House said, then pulling off his underwear and tossing them behind him. “Shirts on or off?” 

“Off,” Wilson continued. “For our first time, I want to feel all of you. Don’t want to have anything in the way.” 

“Off it is.” 

House lifted the cotton t-shirt over his head and threw it to the side, leaving Wilson’s mouth watering. He was eager to touch his lover, eager to feel how soft his skin was against his own…

“You like?” House asked, hands reaching for Wilson’s belt. The other man’s eyes darkened with lust as the belt was undone and joined House’s shirt on the floor. 

“Very much so,” Wilson continued. 

“Now you’re the one who’s wearing too many clothes.”

Wilson just smirked at him, then started to unbutton his dress shirt. Once it was fully undone, Wilson slid it off his shoulders and that was when House kissed him hard, almost shoving his tongue in his mouth.

House continued to focus on kissing Wilson while undoing his pants and pulling them off, along with his underwear. After the clothes were off the bed, House positioned himself so that he was straddling Wilson, letting their erections touch one another. Both men let out groans of pleasure, the feeling indescribable. 

“You feel so good,” Wilson said. “I’ve been wanting and waiting for this for so long...wanted to feel your naked cock against my own…it’s better than any dream I’ve ever had.” 

“All those nights I spent dreaming…” House continued. “Feeling you against me, with nothing in between, it’s amazing.”

House pushed his hips forward, continuing to make their cocks slide against one another. Wilson kept one hand on House’s good leg while using the other to pull him down for a kiss. 

“Make love to me, Greg,” Wilson said, panting a bit. “I want to know what you feel like inside me.” 

“Lube?” 

“Top drawer of the nightstand.”

House reached over and opened the drawer, grabbing the lube and tossing it onto the bed. He popped open the cap and squirted some of the clear liquid onto his fingers before positioning himself between Wilson’s legs. House’s fingers were tracing his perineum and moving lower, causing the other man to let out a soft moan at the feeling. 

“How long has it been since you’ve done this?” House asked, putting a finger right at Wilson’s entrance but not pushing inside.

“A few months,” was the answer.

“Should I continue?” 

“Please do.” 

House slowly started to push his finger inside but felt some resistance. “Try to relax, James. Let me in.” 

Wilson took a deep breath in and then exhaled, a soft moan leaving him as House successfully got his finger inside. He curled it, hitting Wilson’s prostate and making him gasp and grab the metal bars of the headboard. 

“Ah, shit, Greg, give me more!” Wilson begged, pushing his hips forward. He felt a second finger pressing against his entrance and took another deep breath, allowing it to slide inside.

“Fuck, you’re so tight,” House groaned, his erection now fully hard. “I think you’re ready for me. Do you want to go further?” 

“Yes, please, get inside me, Greg. Condoms or no?” 

“No, I’m clean. Haven’t been with anyone since Cuddy. I want to feel you too.”

House removed his fingers and then coated his cock in lube, placing it right at Wilson’s entrance but pausing. 

“What are you doing, House, put it in me already!”

“I’m just making sure.” 

“I’m more than sure.”

House then slowly pushed the head of his cock inside, giving Wilson some time to adjust. He was pushing his hips forward again, needing House to be fully inside him. Once he was fully sheathed, House groaned in pleasure, taking the moment to savor the new feeling.

“Oh, you feel so good,” House said, placing his hands on the bed to support himself. “I’ve never felt anything like it before.” 

“Don’t stop there. Take what is yours,” Wilson continued, digging his nails into his lover’s back.

As House started to thrust, he suddenly had thoughts of Wilson’s previous partners. The thoughts made him jealous, especially when it came to the man that Wilson had sex with. 

“Do you know that you belong to me, James Evan Wilson?” House almost growled, roughly thrusting forward, hitting the other man’s prostate with every stroke. Wilson whimpered with delight, enjoying the sudden change in House’s tone of voice while using his full name.

“Yes, I do,” was the reply, with Wilson wrapping his legs around House’s waist. “I’m yours, Greg, I always will be.” The thrusts became quicker, and he was painfully hard. While his hand would do the trick, he would have preferred if House had touched him. 

“Is this the only cock you want inside you?” 

Wilson groaned at House’s dirty talk. “Only yours. And with no barriers in between, it feels so different.” 

“Nothing will compare to this feeling. There will be nothing else that comes close to the feeling I’m experiencing now,” House said, moving his hand to pinch Wilson’s nipple gently. The moan Wilson let out nearly made House come right then and there. 

The only sounds heard soon after were the headboard hitting the wall and both men’s groans and gasps of pleasure as they made love. Wilson shuddering under House was a sight that the other man knew he would never tire of.

“Are you close, love?” House asked, feeling Wilson start to tighten up around him. His orgasm was building at the base of his spine.

“Yeah, I’m getting close,” Wilson answered. “You feel so good, Greg. Come inside me. I want to feel you empty in me.” His balls tightened and before he knew it, he was coming hard, spilling onto his stomach. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had an orgasm so intense. 

“Oh, Jimmy, I’m gonna come too,” House said, pulling Wilson’s hips towards him and crying out his lover’s name as he came hard, spilling his release inside him. When House felt himself go soft, he pulled out slowly, then laid down on his side. 

“Wow,” was all Wilson could say. He turned his head to look at House, then promptly adjusted his position so that he was on his side as well.

“Wow indeed,” House continued, taking Wilson’s hand in his own and intertwining their fingers. “That was amazing.” 

“It truly was.” 

House opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out a washcloth, handing it to Wilson so that he could clean up. Once Wilson had wiped up his release, he set the cloth aside and then straddled House’s waist, cupping his cheeks. 

“This was the best sex of my life,” he said before kissing him. “I’d like to go for round two in a bit if you’re up for it.” 

“Want to do it in the shower?” House asked. 

“I would love to.” 

10 minutes later, they were in the shower and making love again. House had edged Wilson twice before letting him come, smirking at the sight of him in complete pleasure.


	14. THIRTEEN - The Team Knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continued kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks! Please continue to do so :D

FEBRUARY 15, 2009

The team was sitting in the conference room, waiting for House to show up. What they didn’t expect was their boss arriving at the hospital ten minutes early. They saw him enter the room and were shocked. 

“Am I dreaming?” Cameron said to Chase. “Am I seeing things?” 

“No, you’re definitely not hallucinating, because I see the same thing,” he answered. “He’s actually here early.” 

“And he’s smiling. Why is he smiling?”

“Good morning everyone,” House said, walking over to the whiteboard. “What symptoms are we looking at today?” 

“We have a patient who came into the ER with acute liver failure,” Chase spoke. “They came in a few weeks ago because of the same symptoms but they were treated and sent home. We’ve sent blood work to the lab to check for liver enzymes.” 

“Let me know when you get the results back,” House said, then making his way over to Wilson and whispering something in his ear. Wilson nodded his head in agreement to whatever House said and stood up. 

“We have something that we would like to tell you,” House continued. He grabbed ahold of Wilson’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Wilson and I have been dating for a few months now. For the first time in a long time, I am truly happy.” 

“As am I,” Wilson said, then letting go of their hands. 

The team warmly congratulated them, with Thirteen telling Chase that he owed her 20 dollars. 

“I told you there was something going on between them,” Thirteen said. “Pay up, Chase.” 

He playfully rolled his eyes and then set a 20 dollar bill on the table. 

“You had a bet going on about us?” Wilson asked, a bit surprised. 

“I had my feelings, but Chase didn’t think so. So I bet him twenty bucks. But really, I’m happy for you two. You deserve each other.” 

* * *

FEBRUARY 26, 2009

It was a quiet evening at the apartment, with House and Wilson relaxing on the couch with bowls of pasta in their hands. Neither man was really saying anything to each other, but when they finished eating, House started talking. 

“Tonight, you’re going to want to pack lightly. Definitely bring your swim trunks,” he said. “As soon as the workday is over tomorrow, we’re going to the airport.” 

“Where are we going?” Wilson asked, curiosity peaking. 

“You’ll find out when we get there.”

“You really want to keep me guessing, don’t you?” 

House didn’t answer, instead, he just grinned at Wilson and then headed back down the hall to their bedroom to bring down the suitcase that was on the top shelf in the closet. House brought the suitcase back to the bedroom and placed it on the bed, undoing the zipper. 

Wilson joined him a few minutes later. 

“I think this should be big enough for the two of us to put our things in for a few days. Make sure you have your passport. That’s the only hint you’re getting right now as to where we’re going,” House continued. “I’ll go and clean up the dishes. I love you.”

“I love you too,” was Wilson’s response. 

House placed a kiss on his cheek before leaving the room. 

Wilson began to look through the closet for some clothes to put in the suitcase. Once he decided on what he was going to wear, he folded everything and placed it in the suitcase, along with his swim trunks and a couple pairs of shoes. 

House returned to the bedroom about ten minutes later and packed his things, then set the suitcase on the floor. Wilson was lounging on the bed, looking at something on his cell phone. He set his phone on the nightstand when House joined him, getting on top of him and cupping his cheeks. They started kissing, with Wilson’s hands running up and down House’s back, going underneath his shirt to feel his soft skin.

“I need you, Greg,” Wilson said, rolling House onto his back and being careful of his leg.

“I need you too.” 

They then proceeded to make love twice that evening, reconnecting and basking in their love for one another. 

* * *

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

Lunchtime seemed to arrive quicker than it normally did that day. Wilson couldn’t figure out why but he knew House was still hiding something about the trip they were going on. Wilson really wanted to know where they were going, so he decided to ask House about it once they were seated at lunch. 

After getting their food and sitting down at their normal table, Wilson decided to bring up the trip again. 

“You’ve kept me guessing for long enough,” Wilson said before taking a bite of his food. “Stop teasing me. Where are we going?” 

House playfully glared at him, then spoke. “Okay, fine, I’ll tell you. We’re going to the Bahamas for the weekend. We’re really close to the beach and our resort is on its own island. Happy early birthday, love.” 

Wilson’s eyes widened at the realization. “Oh, House, I love you. Thank you so much.”

“I love you too.” 

They finished their meals and put their trays on the rack above the trash can. They were headed back to their respective offices but as they were walking, House saw a mischievous glint in Wilson’s eyes. He had given House that same look last week and it led to them falling into bed together, making love several times.

“Come with me,” House said quietly, directing Wilson in the direction of one of the empty exam rooms. Wilson smirked, knowing what would happen next. 

The door had barely been shut and locked before Wilson started kissing House, hands roaming each other’s bodies. Wilson’s lab coat quickly found its way onto the floor while House’s cane fell next to it. Wilson pushed him down onto the table so that the pressure would be taken off his leg. 

House pulled Wilson close to him, his hands reaching for the belt of his dress pants. The belt was tossed aside and hit the wall before landing on the ground as House frantically undid the button and zipper of Wilson’s dress pants before sliding his hand inside. 

Wilson let out a soft moan as House’s fingers went under the waistband of his underwear and grasped his hardening cock.

“Jimmy, yes,” House murmured as he began to stroke his lover, eliciting more moans from him. Wilson was breathing a bit heavier as the strokes gained speed, panting against House’s ear. Wilson reached down to undo the zipper and button of House’s jeans before sliding his hand inside to touch his hardness. “Don’t you stop.” 

A knock on the door interrupted them from going any further. 

“Doctor Wilson?” Cameron asked from outside. “Your patient’s test results came back. The liver enzymes are elevated.” 

“Fuck!” Wilson cursed, from a combination of House’s fingers stroking his cock in a certain way and realizing that his patient was sicker than he thought. “I’ll be right out.” Wilson then turned to House and lowered his voice. “Well, we’re unfortunately going to have to pick this up later. I have to go and check on the patient. I love you.” 

“I love you too, Jimmy,” House answered. 

Wilson picked up his lab coat and put it back on, smoothing it out for any wrinkles. House grabbed his cane and waited a few minutes before exiting the exam room and continuing on his way.

* * *

The clock finally turned to six PM. House made his way over to Wilson’s office, where he found the other man working on some paperwork. 

“Ready to go?” House asked his lover. “Our flight is at 8:30.” 

“Yeah, just give me a few minutes. I’m wrapping the last bit of paperwork,” Wilson answered. He looked at his laptop and then over at a piece of paper, then scribbled something down. 

After five minutes, Wilson filed away the papers in his desk, placing them into the appropriate folders and then locking the drawer. He placed the key in his pocket and shut down his laptop before standing up and making his way over to where House was.

“I’m ready,” Wilson said, placing a kiss on his lips. House kissed him back, cupping his cheeks. He then opened the door and they left the office, with Wilson locking it up before they made their way out to the parking lot. 

Once they were in the car, House turned on the ignition while Wilson plugged in his phone to the aux cord and pulled up their shared playlist of songs. 

The sounds of Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ filled the car and House tapped the steering wheel in tune with the music. Wilson began to sing along to the lyrics and House joined him. 

They continued to sing along with the playlist the entire way to the airport. Once House had parked the car, Wilson placed his phone in his pocket, then got out to open the trunk. He pulled out the checked bag and set it on the ground. 

“Ready to enjoy your birthday weekend?” House asked, wrapping an arm around Wilson’s waist. 

“More than ready,” was the answer.

They walked into the airport holding hands, not caring if people stared at them. 

Security and the ticket counter did not take long at all and they made it to the gate a half-hour later. House took a seat and propped up his injured leg, pulling out a small package of almonds from his computer bag and beginning to eat them. Wilson sat down next to him and checked his phone for any emails from work. When he saw that he didn’t have anything new, he proceeded to play Tetris until it was time to board. 

45 minutes later, House and Wilson scanned their passes and made their way onto the plane. Wilson was surprised to learn that they were flying first class. He had always flown economy whenever he booked a trip.

Wilson set his computer bag under the seat in front of him, then took a seat next to House. 

“You happy?” was the question. “I want to make sure that you have a wonderful birthday.” 

“I am very happy,” Wilson replied. “I can’t wait.” 

Once they were settled in their seats, he pulled out his iPad and plugged in his headphones, pulling up his music playlist.

He hadn’t been to the Bahamas before and he was certainly looking forward to going. However, he knew that House wasn’t the biggest fan of tropical destinations due to his infarction. 

“Can I ask you something?” Wilson asked, taking out his headphones for a minute to hear House’s answer.

“Of course.” 

“What made you choose the Bahamas? I thought you didn’t partially enjoy beaches or tropical places.” 

“I wanted to pick someplace nice for your birthday. There are a lot of places that you haven’t been before and I’d like you to be able to go to those places. I’d also like to get comfortable with more tropical locations - I used to love to go to the beach before the infarction.” 

Wilson kissed House softly before settling back in his seat and looking through his playlist to decide on a song. House had decided to send Cuddy a message, letting her know that they had boarded the plane and would be taking off soon. Once he finished with that, he leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. 

* * *

House was awoken from his nap by the sound of the pilot’s voice over the in-flight intercom.

“Alright, folks, we are beginning our descent into Nassau, so either keep your electronics in airplane mode or turn them off. Please put the trays back into their upright position and we should be landing in about 20 minutes,” the pilot said over the in-flight intercom.

House raised his arms above his head and stretched, feeling his leg beginning to spasm slightly. He started to massage it but was surprised when Wilson’s hands replaced his own. 

“You have a calling for this,” House said, enjoying the feeling of his lover’s hands on him. The spasm began to settle and soon enough, House was feeling much better. “Thank you, love. I appreciate it.” 

“Anytime, babe,” Wilson answered before returning to his music. He set his iPad on his lap and placed the tray back in its upright position. 

The landing was pretty smooth with almost no turbulence. Once the plane was parked at the gate, House and Wilson grabbed their computer bags and left, seeing that there was an airport employee waiting for House with a wheelchair. He settled down in the chair and then they made their way down to baggage claim. 

It didn’t take long for the suitcase to make its way onto the carousel. Wilson grabbed it and then followed House out of the airport, where they flagged down a taxi.

“Atlantis resort, please,” House said to the driver once he and Wilson were inside.

“We’re going there?” Wilson asked, quite surprised. “I’ve always wanted to visit that place. Why I’ve never gone there until now, I’ll never know.” 

House smiled at his lover before turning his attention to the outside, seeing how wonderful the landscape looked. As they continued on their way to the hotel, the crystal clear waters came into sight and House thought about taking a swim there the next day.

Wilson was playing Tetris on his phone again, cursing under his breath when he couldn’t make any more moves. He had just put his phone back in his pocket when the taxi pulled into the resort parking lot. 

It didn’t take long for them to get checked in and make their way to their room, where Wilson immediately laid down on the bed, enjoying how soft the mattress was. 

“This is quite nice,” he said. “I look forward to the weekend.” 

“So am I,” House replied, setting the suitcase next to the window and then joining Wilson on the bed, taking his hand in his own. 


	15. FOURTEEN - Wilson Turns 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hard 'E' rating for the last section.

FEBRUARY 28, 2009

“Morning.” 

Wilson awoke to see House looking at him, a smile across his face. 

“Good morning,” Wilson replied, kissing his lover. House kissed him back and then pulled him against his body, spooning him. 

“Happy birthday, James. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” He paused for a moment before speaking again. “I thought we could go swimming for a bit. I really want to take a dip in the ocean.” 

“I was hoping you’d say that because I booked something for the two of us to do this morning.” 

“What’d you have planned?” 

“I booked us a jet ski rental for a bit. Thought we could do something fun.” 

“I have never ridden on one of those, so I definitely look forward to it.” 

They then proceeded to get out of bed and change into their swimwear, along with a cotton t-shirt. 

* * *

15 minutes later, the men made their way down to the rental place. After receiving their lifejackets, House climbed onto the jet ski first with Wilson sitting in the back and putting his arms around House’s waist. He turned on the jet ski and it began to easily glide across the crystal clear water. They made sure to leave enough distance between them and other swimmers but still stuck close to shore. After about 15 minutes, House paused and allowed Wilson to drive the jetski for the rest of their allotted time. 

They returned the jetski and then made their way over to where their towels were. House decided to relax for a bit while Wilson wanted to swim.

20 minutes later, House was sitting down on a beach towel, leaning up on his elbows to see Wilson floating on his back, eyes closed. He opened his eyes after a few seconds and began swimming around in the water again. After a few minutes, he left the water and made his way over to where House was and sat down on another towel. 

“The water is wonderful,” Wilson said to him. “It’s so warm and clear...will you join me in a bit?” 

“I will,” House answered. “But I’m enjoying this view better.” 

“Oh, shush,” Wilson continued, blushing slightly. He lay down on his back and put his sunglasses on. He ended up dozing off for about 15 minutes, and then woke up to see House standing in knee-high water. Wilson decided to join him, pulling him into a hug once he got there. “Hey there, good-looking. I woke up and you weren’t there.” 

“I wanted to enjoy the water. You were right - it is quite warm. It’s very relaxing.”

For the rest of the morning, they enjoyed swimming and took some pictures of themselves on the beach. In the afternoon, they ate lunch at a local place and enjoyed all the waterslides that were at the resort. House hadn’t been to a waterpark since before the infarction and he found that he still enjoyed them now as much as he did then. 

Dinner was at one of the resort restaurants and Wilson was so happy to be spending his 40th birthday with the love of his life. For dessert, the waiter brought out a slice of chocolate cake with ‘Happy Birthday James’ written on the plate. He felt his heart swoon with love for House as they enjoyed the cake slice together. 

* * *

After finishing their food, House and Wilson returned to their room, setting the key card down on the desk. They decided to sit outside on the balcony and enjoy the sunset. The sky was hued with shades of pink and orange - even a light shade of purple could be seen. 

Wilson moved his chair closer to House’s and then intertwined their fingers together.

“This has been the best birthday,” Wilson said, leaning his head on House’s shoulder. “I love everything about this place, and I’d want to come back again at some point.” 

“Definitely,” was House’s response. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself. I am as well.”

Wilson kissed him, cupping his cheeks. House kissed him back, then signaled for him to get out of his chair and sit on his lap. Wilson did so, always being careful of his lover’s leg. 

“I have one other birthday present for you,” House continued. “I’m ready to take the next step. I’m giving myself to you tonight. I want you to make love to me, James.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I’ve been wanting to have this happen at the right time. I’ve been ready for the last few weeks, but I wanted to wait until the timing was right. I trust you more than anyone. You’ll be the only person I’ll ever do this with. I don’t want anyone else.” 

“I’ve been wanting this for a while too,” Wilson replied. “I don’t want anyone else either.” 

Wilson kissed House again, softly this time, then moved his lips across his cheek and onto the side of his neck, gently brushing across the soft skin there. House let out a moan, a hand going onto the back of Wilson’s neck. 

“Maybe we should move to the bed so that we’re more comfortable,” House said. Wilson nodded his head in agreement. 

The two men got off the bench and made their way inside and over to the bed. When they got there, Wilson pushed House onto the bed and straddled his waist, pinning his wrists with his hands. 

“I love you,” Wilson said, then leaning down to kiss his lips. 

“I love you too,” was the response. Wilson’s hands trailed lower until he was at the button and zipper of his jeans. “Are you sure about this? We don’t have to do this tonight.” 

“I want to.” 

House’s jeans were undone and pulled off him, his cock straining in his underwear. The briefs were next to come off and then Wilson got a good look at House’s cock, already hard and needing attention. His mouth watered at the sight. 

Wilson ran a single finger up the length of it, feeling the other man shudder with pleasure. 

“Please,” House begged softly.

“What do you want, love?” Wilson smirked, repeating the same motion. 

“I want you inside me.” 

Wilson reached over to grab the bottle of lube from the bedside table and opened the cap. Squirting some onto his fingers, he placed one right near House’s entrance but didn’t push inside.

“Would you just put it in already?” House demanded, then gasped when one of Wilson’s fingers entered him. “Oh shit.” 

“Was this what you wanted?” Wilson asked, then curling his finger. He knew he had found House’s prostate when the other man moaned loudly and reached up to grab the sides of the pillowcase.

“Yes, don’t stop. Give me more.” 

Wilson kept curling his finger, making sure that he’d keep touching House’s prostate with every stroke. House was soon writhing around after Wilson inserted a second finger and curled it as well. 

“Get...inside...me...please,” House continued. “I want to know what it’s like.” 

Wilson removed his fingers and then grabbed the bottle from the table once again. Opening the cap, he squeezed some lube onto his cock and rubbed it all over. He then positioned himself between House’s legs but didn’t slide inside him. 

“You ready?” Wilson asked. 

“Yes,” House replied. “Please, James. Let me truly feel you.” He threw his head back in pleasure as Wilson slowly entered him for the first time. “Yes, James, you feel so good.” 

“Oh fuck, love, you’re tight,” Wilson groaned. He started to thrust slowly, pulling his lover’s hips towards him. “You like that?” 

“Yes, I do,” House continued, trying to catch his breath because the pleasure was just too good.

Feeling another man, feeling  _ Wilson _ inside him, was truly indescribable. House kissed his lover softly, panting into his mouth and wrapping his good leg around his waist. 

Wilson brushed House’s prostate, emitting something between a gasp and a moan from the other man. 

“ _ Jimmy _ ,” came the breathless response. “I love you. Please don’t stop.”  
  
“Never, baby. I love you too.” 

The only sounds heard then were pants and groans, along with the bed squeaking underneath the vigor of their lovemaking. 

Wilson felt a familiar sensation start to build up in his groin a few minutes later, with House reaching up to grab onto the pillow. 

“You close?” Wilson asked.

“Yes, I’m almost there,” House replied, fingers tightly clenched around the pillowcase. “So close, Jimmy...send me over…” 

After two hard and powerful thrusts, House came, crying out loudly and saying Wilson’s name. The streaks of white coated his stomach, and some of it went onto the sheets around him. 

“Fuck, that was so hot,” Wilson said, his own orgasm approaching quickly. “I’m gonna cum, love.” The orgasm went through him and he spilled his release inside him, keeping a tight grasp on his hips. 

Wilson slowly pulled out of him and settled down on his left. Both men were panting and had sweat dripping off their foreheads. 

House turned over on his side to face Wilson, whose brown eyes were looking straight into his own. 

“That was so good, House,” Wilson said. “Did you enjoy it?”

“It was amazing,” was the reply. “I’m going to remember this night for the rest of my life.” 

“You want to go again soon?” 

“Definitely.” 

Wilson got off the bed and made his way into the bathroom to grab a towel. He came back with one and handed it to House to clean up his release. Once he was done, Wilson leaned into House’s side and draped an arm across his abdomen. They cuddled for a bit before making love again.


	16. FIFTEEN - Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continued comments, kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks! I have been completely blown away by the reception I have gotten on this story.

APRIL 10, 2009 

The morning was basically the same as any other day. However, Cuddy had everyone gathered in the conference room because she had some exciting news that she wanted to share. 

“I promise I won’t react like I did the last time,” House said as he propped his injured leg up on the table. “You have my word.” 

Once everyone else had sat down, Cuddy cleared her throat before speaking. “I found out last night that I was approved to adopt a girl. Her name is Rachel and she’s 12 years old. She’ll be coming home with me at the end of the month. I’m finally going to be a mom.” 

The team warmly congratulated her and offered them their best wishes. 

Wilson leaned his head against House’s shoulder for a moment and imagined himself raising a child with him. 

_Wait, what?_ Wilson asked himself. _Why’d I get that image?_

He tried not to think about it too much, but he decided to put it in the back of his mind and come back to it later. 

* * *

That evening, while House was outside on the balcony grilling a couple of steaks, Wilson was setting the table. He had just set the plates in their normal spot when he looked at House flipping the steaks over with tongs and saw the image of a mini-House holding onto his good leg. A mini-Wilson then joined their sibling and they began to chase each other on the balcony, with House saying, “Go inside if you want to run around.” 

The two kids then went inside the apartment and continued to chase each other, being careful to not break anything. 

Wilson figured that he was seeing these images because of Cuddy’s adoption announcement. But as he continued seeing the image of his and House’s mini-mes, he realized that he really wanted to have a child. He thought that by now, he would have been a father. He was hoping that House would be on the same page about having children, or otherwise they would need to have a serious discussion. 

10 minutes later, House had plated the steaks and stepped inside. Wilson walked over to the patio door and closed it behind him, then set the plate down on the center of the table. Wilson then headed back into the kitchen to pull the tray of roasted potatoes out of the oven. He divided the potatoes in half, then set the tray on the counter. 

“What do you feel like drinking this evening?” Wilson asked him. “I’m going to have some white wine.” 

“I’ll have the same,” House replied, taking a seat at the table.

Wilson opened the fridge and pulled out a half-empty bottle of wine, then grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet. Once the rest of the items were on the table, Wilson took a seat and then poured the rest of the wine into both glasses. 

“Cheers,” House said, raising his glass and clinking it against Wilson’s. 

“What are we celebrating?” 

“Us. I’m in a relationship where I’m truly happy and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.” 

“I feel the same way.” Wilson took a sip of his wine before continuing to talk. “I’d like to discuss something with you.” 

House looked at his lover with slight concern. “Okay…” 

“What do you think about having kids?” 

House took a deep breath and then cut into his steak. He chewed his bite of meat before replying. 

“I would be open to the idea,” he said. “It’s not my top priority in life but I’m not against it. You?” 

“I would really like to have a kid,” Wilson continued. “I’ve wanted to be a parent for so long and I thought that it would have happened by now.” He could feel the tears forming and tried to hold them back.

“Hey, please don’t cry,” House replied, taking Wilson’s hand in his own. “I can’t stand to see you upset.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Why are you sorry?” 

“Because I feel like I’m putting pressure on you. I’m the one who brought it up and now I feel like I shouldn’t have.” 

“No, it’s a good thing that you brought it up. It was something that we would need to have discussed at one point.”

They decided to eat more of their food before continuing their conversation. 

“If we had kids, where would we live? How many would we have?” Wilson questioned. 

“I would like to stay in Princeton for sure. I’m sure we would move out of the apartment and find a bigger place to live. I wouldn’t mind living in a house. As for how many kids, I would definitely want to have more than one. I don’t want them to grow up without siblings.” 

“You really would want a family with me?” Wilson asked. “I mean, with the both of our issues…” 

“Jimmy.” Wilson paused at the use of his nickname. “I want everything with you. You are my life and my everything.” 

Wilson could feel the tears well up in his eyes. The love he felt for this man, it was beyond anything he had ever felt for anyone else. 

“I just love you,” Wilson said, taking House’s hand. 

“I love you too.” 

* * *

APRIL 15, 2009 

Wilson had just sat down at his normal lunch table that afternoon with his food when Chase approached him. 

“May I sit here for a moment?” he asked. 

“Sure,” Wilson said. “House won’t be here for a while since he unexpectedly got pulled into surgery last minute.” 

“I’m actually here to talk to you. A couple of nights ago, Cameron and I got engaged.” 

Wilson soon had a huge smile on his face. “That’s great! Congrats, Chase, I’m happy for you.” 

“Thank you.” Chase paused for a moment, then spoke again. “I was hoping you’d be my best man. Cameron is going to ask Cuddy to be her maid of honor.” 

“Are you kidding? I’m honored you asked me to be your best man. Of course I will.” 

“Feel free to tell House. We’d like him at the wedding as well. We’ll send out more information once we’ve settled on a wedding date.” 

“Sounds good.” 

Chase stood up, as did Wilson. Chase then hugged him and returned to the table he sat at with Cameron. 

Wilson was just finishing up lunch when House arrived with his tray of food. 

“Patient is in recovery and resting,” House said. “They’ll be just fine. How are you?” 

“I’m doing well. Chase asked me to be his best man because he and Cameron got engaged a couple of days ago. Cuddy’s supposedly going to be the maid of honor. They want you to be there as well.” 

“I’d be glad to.” He stood up and walked over to the other table and congratulated the couple on their engagement. He then made his way back over to Wilson, who was beginning to clean up. 

“I’ve got to get back to work,” Wilson said. “I’m sorry that I won’t be here for lunch. I’ll see you later, okay?” He placed a soft kiss on House’s lips, cupping his cheeks. Since the team and HR were already aware of their relationship, House and Wilson had decided that they didn’t care who knew that they were a couple. 

House kissed back and then Wilson dropped off his tray on top of the trash can on his way out of the canteen.

* * *

APRIL 16, 2009 

It was proving to be a rather quiet night at the apartment. However, when Wilson noticed that House had taken yet another Vicodin, he knew that he needed to say something. 

“I’m worried about you,” Wilson said, moving closer to him on the couch. “I see you taking all those pills...I’m worried that one day I’m going to come home and find you dead from an overdose or from damage caused by the pills. I don’t even want to begin to imagine that scenario. But it scares me. It really got me thinking after we had that discussion of having children. I’m scared that you may not be around in 10 or 15 years.” The tears began to pool and House immediately set his bowl of orange chicken on the coffee table. He cupped Wilson’s cheeks, leaning their foreheads together. 

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” House said. “I’ve been thinking about detoxing safely. I’m hoping that I can start on Gabapentin and maybe do some physical therapy to help strengthen the muscles. Because you’re right - the Vicodin will probably kill me early. And I don’t want that to happen. I want to spend the rest of my life with you - so yes, I will do whatever it takes to get this on track.” 

Wilson set his food on the coffee table as well and then pulled House into a passionate kiss, adjusting their positions so that he was on top. House looked at the man below him and kissed him again, groaning when he felt Wilson’s cock begin to harden. 

“Make love to me, Greg,” Wilson said, lifting House’s shirt over his head. “I have a packet of lube in my pocket.” 

House was about to ask why Wilson had a packet of lube on him but he realized that the question didn’t matter.

After quickly getting undressed, House slicked himself up with the lube and quickly pushed inside Wilson. 

“Please.” 

And that was all House needed to hear before they started to make love, enjoying being with one another and feeling their love rekindle. Their feelings for one another never went away but whenever they made love, it was always such a wonderful thing and neither man could get enough. 


	17. SIXTEEN - Real or Fiction (Both Sides Now)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode was definitely hard to write, but I promise that things will get better for our favorite couple. I wasn't planning to post today, but I had finished this chapter the other day and I wanted to get it out. Please continue to comment, subscribe, bookmark, and leave kudos! :)  
> *May contain spoilers - Episode 5x24*

MAY 11, 2009

House was sitting in one of the chairs in the conference room while Chase presented the details of the latest case. He twirled what he thought was one of Cuddy’s lipsticks in his hand. 

Once Chase finished with the case details, House stood up and spoke. 

“Alright, everyone, listen up. I had sex with Lisa Cuddy last night!” House said without any introduction.

The entire room went silent.

* * *

Cuddy stood up from her chair, arms crossed and anger flooding her face. 

“What the hell is wrong with you, House! How could you say such a thing?” she snapped. “And you said it in front of the entire team, which just makes the situation worse! Not only that, but you hurt the one person who truly loves you!” 

House looked over at Wilson. He was sobbing, his face completely streaked with tears.

“Wilson, I-” House began, but he didn’t get to say anything more. 

“We’re through,” Wilson said, not caring that other people were in the room. His voice sounded choked from his crying. “It would have been nice to know you felt this way about Cuddy. It would be better if you had ended things with me first before deciding to screw around. I wouldn’t have been as upset then because we would have already been broken up. I probably would have been more understanding. But this...I just don’t understand where things went so wrong that you resorted to doing this. I thought we were truly happy together, but I guess I was wrong. I’ll be getting my things and moving out of the apartment tonight.” 

Wilson got up from the chair and left the room, almost slamming the door behind him. The rest of the team looked over at House, whose faces ranged from anger to complete shock. 

“I didn’t think you had it in you, House,” Cameron spoke up. “Wilson may have made mistakes in the past but he loved you. Your entire relationship, including your friendship, is more than likely over for good. If I were Wilson, I wouldn’t forgive you.” 

House left the room, wanting to find Wilson and tell him he was sorry. He found the other man in his office, sitting at his desk and crying. House opened the door and then Wilson looked over at him. 

“Get out,” Wilson said, voice choked with tears. “Get out of my office and get out of my life.” 

“James, I’m sorry-” House began. 

“No. You lost the right to call me James the moment you slept with Cuddy. We’re through being boyfriends. I don’t think our friendship can survive anymore. I have made mistakes in my past, but I thought that this relationship would have been the one that lasted. I loved you, House. I truly loved you. But I can’t forgive you for this. So just get out and leave me alone.”

House turned around and left the office, leaving Wilson to deal with the loneliness. Wilson felt as if he had just been punched in the gut. 

He might not have been entirely faithful in past relationships, but this betrayal stung more than anything. 

* * *

House entered Cuddy’s office that afternoon, seeing that she was behind her desk and working on something on the computer. 

“We need to talk about last night,” he said. “Now that my entire relationship and friendship with Wilson is over for good-” 

“What are you talking about?” Cuddy asked, saving her work and then turning off her computer. “Your relationship with Wilson isn’t over.” She looked at House, who appeared to be confused. “Unless you’re saying something happened?” 

“I slept with you and cheated on him! How could you not remember what happened last night?”

“Because you didn’t come over! I went over to your place!” 

“What?” 

Cuddy sighed before continuing. “Wilson called me last night. He told me you were sitting on the bathroom floor, twirling a bottle of Vicodin in your hand. He called me and asked if I could come over and help him out. I came over and we were both having to persuade you to not take the Vicodin.”

House continued to stare at Cuddy in disbelief. How could she have not remembered their night together? They had barely got out of bed, unable to keep their hands off each other. Or had they…? __

_ He thought Cuddy’s lips had been on his. The lips had been soft and warm against his own.  _

_ But he could now see himself walking to the apartment he shared with Wilson and taking off his jacket, which he thought Cuddy had removed.  _

_ House made his way into the bedroom, thinking that Cuddy was next to him, continuing to place kisses on his cheek and neck. As he sat down on the bed, the same pair of lips kissed him again, and House looked into the person’s eyes and saw that they were Wilson’s.  _

Cuddy looked over at her employee once again and saw that his eyes appeared to be looking off into the distance. She could tell that something wasn’t right with him. 

“Are you okay?” she asked as she walked over to him.

His eyes looked into hers and then looked back off in the distance again. When his eyes focused on hers again, he said, “No, I’m not okay.”

He saw himself sitting in the conference room with the team from earlier that day, holding a lipstick tube in his hand. But when he looked at the object again, he saw it was one of his bottles of Vicodin.

“I’m...I’m hallucinating,” House continued. “My mind is trying to confuse me.” 

“Let’s go see Wilson and get some things figured out. I think he’d be better at figuring this stuff out than I would be.” 

She left her office and started walking down the hall as House followed behind her. 

* * *

Wilson had been working in his office, signing some paperwork, when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. 

“Come in,” he said. 

The door opened and in stepped House, along with Cuddy. His hair appeared to be a bit messed up, while his eyes looked slightly glazed over. 

Wilson stopped what he was doing and looked over at House. He could tell that something wasn’t right with him and the concern began to build. 

“What’s going on?” Wilson asked, a bit confused by the situation. Cuddy sighed sadly before speaking. 

“His Vicodin made him hallucinate,” she said. “I’ve never seen him like this before.” 

Wilson walked over to him and cupped his cheeks, looking into his eyes. Wilson could tell that House was really out of it. 

“Can you tell me what he saw in his hallucination?” 

“Oh, Wilson…” Cuddy replied. “I’m sorry for what I’m about to tell you.” He looked slightly confused, wondering what she had said to say that made her apologize in advance. “I don’t know the full story, but it was implied that he cheated on you with me.” 

Wilson’s face turned to one of shock. “House, look at me. I love you. But you’re going to have to go somewhere else for a while. You can yell at me all you want, but this has to be done for the sake of our relationship and your life. The Vicodin has now interfered with your mental health.” 

House looked Wilson in the eyes before speaking. “Do what you need to do. I don’t want to keep imagining things that didn’t happen. I am so sorry, James.” 

* * *

An hour later, Wilson had arrived at the front entrance of the hospital where House was going to be staying for a while. 

Wilson and Cuddy had discussed talking House to a rehab facility where he could safely detox from Vicodin. They had also talked about getting a physical therapist to visit him while he was in rehab to help with his leg. House agreed to stay at the facility for the entire length of his treatment. 

Once they had gotten out of the car, Wilson held House in a hug, placing a kiss on his cheek. 

“It’ll be okay, House,” Wilson said. “You’ll have me. I’ll be here to visit when you want me to come. And I’ll be waiting for you when you’re released.” He thought about their conversation in the car, where House had said that he preferred to have limited contact while at the facility. Wilson asked him why and House told him that it would be too painful to see him for just a short while and then have to say goodbye until he returned the next time. 

_ “Though I would like to see you on my birthday for certain,” House had said. “Even if it’s only for a short amount of time, I’d still like to have some time with you.”  _

_ “Of course I’ll be there,” Wilson had replied. “I wouldn’t miss it.” _

Wilson was brought back to the present by House speaking to him. 

“I’ll miss you,” House replied. “It’s not going to be the same without you.” 

“I’ll miss you too.” Wilson stepped forward and cupped House’s cheeks, kissing him passionately. House kissed him back, holding him close. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.”

After they pulled away, House made his way up the stairs and entered the hospital, prepared to begin rehab.


	18. SEVENTEEN - Mayfield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *May contain spoilers - Episode 6x1*

JUNE 11, 2009 

There was a knock heard on his room’s door around one PM that afternoon. House smiled because he knew who was outside - and no one else could make him smile that much as this person did.

“Come in,” House said. 

The door opened and Wilson stepped inside, holding two small boxes in his hands. He managed to lock the door behind him before setting the boxes down on the nightstand.

“Hi, James-” House continued, but he was interrupted by Wilson’s mouth on his, an eager tongue trying to make its way into his own mouth. House immediately kissed him back, pulling Wilson on top of him, running his hands up and down his back. 

“Happy birthday,” Wilson said, then went right back to kissing House, cupping his cheeks.

House groaned when Wilson’s hardening cock pressed against his own length, so he reached behind him and pushed their groins together. 

“Happy birthday to me for sure,” House continued, then moved his hands to Wilson’s dress shirt, undoing the buttons and then loosening his tie. Wilson lifted House’s shirt over his head, tossing it aside, and then going right back to kissing him. 

“I missed you,” Wilson answered after pulling away. “I missed you so much. I hate sleeping alone. Work just isn’t the same without you there.” 

“I missed you too.”

Wilson’s tie and shirt joined House’s on the floor, chests being pressed against each other. Both men were straining in their pants, needing release. Wilson quickly unzipped his dress pants and pulled off House’s sweatpants, along with his underwear, the cool air hitting his cock and making him hiss slightly. The hiss became a gasp of pleasure after Wilson wrapped a hand around his length. 

“James, please, let me feel you too,” House replied, palming the other man through his underwear. 

“Please do.” 

House pulled Wilson’s dress pants down to his knees, along with his underwear. He grasped Wilson’s hardening cock, stroking it a few times and making the other man beg for more. 

House then brought their cocks into alignment, stroking them both at the same time. Wilson thrust up into his lover’s hand, burying his face into the crook of his neck.

“I’ve missed this.” 

The friction of their cocks sliding against one another was delicious, the pleasure beyond amazing. House enjoyed every aspect of his sex life with Wilson but he found this to be the most intimate. 

“I’ve been missing this too,” Wilson responded, gently biting down on House’s shoulder to muffle his moans as they continued to grind against each other. 

“ _James_ ,” House groaned, feeling his orgasm begin to build in the base of his spine. Wilson was shuddering on top of him as House began to stroke them faster. 

“I’m going to come, fuck.” 

House quickly grabbed a few tissues from the box on his nightstand and held them over both of their cocks as Wilson cried out.

“Gorgeous,” House said against Wilson’s lips, then kissed him as his own orgasm came over him. 

Once they had come down from their highs and were cleaned up, Wilson snuggled against House, wrapping an arm across his abdomen. House placed a kiss on his forehead before putting a hand on his waist. 

“I bought you a gift,” Wilson said, leaning up to kiss him. “The box on top, that one is yours.” 

House grabbed the box off the nightstand and opened it to find a gold watch inside. He took it out of the box and smiled at his lover. 

“It’s beautiful, James, I love it,” House answered. “Want to put it on me?” 

“I would love to.” 

Wilson put the watch on House’s wrist and then cupped his cheeks. “It looks so good on you. I miss being able to hold you at night. I’ve realized that the apartment is just so empty without you there.” 

“It won’t be too much longer. I know it sucks being long distance, but before you know it, I’ll be back home with you.” 

They continued to rest against each other for a bit before Wilson sat up and grabbed the second box. 

“I brought you a little cake as well. Lemon raspberry,” he said.

“That sounds wonderful. It’s nice to have outside food once in a while. I’m so used to eating the food here.” 

Wilson handed him a plastic fork and took the lid off the box. House took a few bites of the cake and smiled, enjoying the food. 

Once he had finished a slice, he pulled Wilson on top of him once again. They started kissing, with the first sparks of arousal beginning to show. 

“I want you to fuck me hard,” House groaned, then started sucking on Wilson’s earlobe. 

The other man didn’t need to be told twice. Taking out a travel-sized bottle of lube from his pants pocket, he removed them before opening the cap and slicking up two fingers. One began to tease House’s entrance and then slowly slid inside, with him pushing his hips forward. 

“Oh shit,” he said. 

“You’re so tight for me, love,” Wilson replied, enjoying the feeling of his lover around him. He expected his lover to be tight since they hadn’t done anything like this in a month. He slid the second finger inside and curled it against House’s prostate, making him shudder in pleasure. “You want me?” 

“Please, Jimmy. I always want you. Take what is yours.” 

Wilson removed his fingers and applied some lube to himself. He slid off his dress pants before entering House.

“Oh, babe,” Wilson said. “You feel so good.”

Feeling his lover inside him, filling him completely...it was a feeling House never wanted to forget. 

Still remaining a bit sensitive from his earlier orgasm, House knew it wouldn’t take very long for him to reach that point again. Wilson was groaning in pleasure, placing his hands on both sides of the bed to support himself. 

“ _Jimmy_ ,” House moaned softly, cupping his lover’s cheeks. “I love you. I’ll never stop loving you.” 

“I love you too,” Wilson answered, placing a soft kiss on his lips. 

They made love, the bed squeaking under the vigor of their activities. Both men quickly approached orgasm and were soon coming hard, each saying the other’s name. 

* * *

JUNE 13, 2009 

“House? Are you in there?” a voice said from outside. 

“Come in,” he answered. 

A woman with short, dark hair entered the room, closing the door behind her. 

“Hi, Lydia,” he continued. “Come on over.” 

She made her way over to him and sat down, pulling him into a hug. 

“How have you been? I’m sorry I haven’t been here for the last little while.” 

“I’ve been good. I celebrated my birthday a couple of days ago and got a new watch.” He rolled up his jacket sleeve to show it off. 

“That watch is lovely. Someone very special must have given this to you.” She took his hand in her own and intertwined their fingers, but House immediately pulled his hand away. 

“Lydia, I need to tell you something.” House put a hand over the watch and smiled slightly at the memory of Wilson giving it to him. “I just want to say that you are a wonderful woman and I have enjoyed your company during the time I’ve been here for the last month. It’s been helping me get through the loneliness. However, I am in a relationship with my boyfriend, whom I love more than my own life. I’m not going to cheat on him with anyone, nor do I want to. He means everything to me.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you were taken. I promise that nothing like this will happen again. I am going to head out for the evening and go run some errands. I will see you next time. Maybe I can meet this boyfriend of yours and reassure him that he has nothing to worry about.” 

“That would be wonderful. Goodnight, Lydia.” 

“Goodnight, House.” 

Lydia then left the room, leaving House alone once again. 

He pulled out his cell phone and sent Wilson a text, asking him if he wanted to come to the hospital in a couple of days for a visit. 

Wilson responded a few minutes later saying he would come and see him after work on the 15th. House was looking forward to seeing Wilson again, even though it had only been a few days since they had seen each other last. 

* * *

JUNE 15, 2009 

Wilson knocked on the door around 5:30 PM that evening and then entered, finding House relaxing on his bed. After closing the door, Wilson made his way over to the bed and sat down next to him, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

“Hey,” House said, kissing his lover back and cupping his cheeks. 

“Hey yourself,” Wilson responded. “How are you doing?” 

“I’m doing okay. The leg is getting better with physical therapy. Gabapentin seems to be working for the time being. I think they will have to increase my dosage a bit but otherwise, this drug is doing wonders for me.” 

“That’s so good to hear. I’m glad things are working for you.” He paused for a moment. “Can I hold you? I miss having you in my arms.” 

House adjusted his position so that Wilson could sit next to him and wrap his arms around him. House leaned his head against Wilson’s shoulder as a second knock was heard on the door. 

“You expecting someone else?” the oncologist asked, feeling a bit confused. 

“Come in,” House replied, and then the door opened to reveal Lydia, who was wearing a very short dress. It was quite low-cut in the front and came to mid-thigh. “Um, Lydia, hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you this evening.” 

“I was on my way out to the club because there are half-priced drinks, but I decided to drop by and see how you were doing,” she said. She pulled out a cardigan from her purse and put it on, buttoning it up. “I didn’t realize you had company this evening, so I will see myself out.”

“Wait,” House continued. “I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, James. James, this is Lydia. She’s a...friend. I met her shortly after I started treatment.” 

After saying hello to Wilson, Lydia spoke again. “James, I want you to know that you have nothing to worry about when it comes to House and I. My husband visits here sometimes because his sister is a patient. I will be on my way now, so goodbye, House. I’ll see you later. Lovely to meet you, James.” 

Lydia then left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving House and Wilson alone. 

“Do I need to be worried?” Wilson asked. 

“No, you don’t have to. However, the other day, she grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers, but I pulled away and told her I was in a relationship. I swear, nothing else has happened between me and Lydia.” 

“I believe you.” 

They shared a kiss before holding each other, enjoying spending time together. Wilson adjusted his position once again so that House could rest his head in his lap. Wilson gently brushed some hair off of House’s forehead before placing a hand there, feeling completely content.


	19. EIGHTEEN - Meet Doctor Kaplan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:// Sexual Harassment

JULY 23, 2009 

It was House’s third day back at work after finishing his treatment plan. His leg was a lot less painful with the Gabapentin and the exercises he had done.

When he entered the conference room that morning with Wilson walking next to him, he was surprised to see Cuddy inside. She was standing next to a tall, muscular doctor with dark blonde hair and green eyes.

“Ah, good. Now that you’re all here, I have something to share. Everyone, I’d like you to meet Doctor Justin Kaplan. He is gonna be working with us for the time being,” Cuddy said. “The Mayo Clinic has spoken highly of him.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Doctor Kaplan replied. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity to work here.” His eyes landed on Wilson and was immediately drawn to him. Kaplan made a note to speak to the other doctor when there was a moment and hopefully get his number.

“Doctor Kaplan, I’m going to have you shadow Doctor Wilson for the day since I read in your resume that you previously worked under an oncologist at your last job,” Cuddy continued.

“That sounds great.” 

Kaplan walked over to Wilson and stood next to him. House was looking at the new doctor and glaring slightly. His gut was telling him that something wasn’t right but he didn’t know what it was. 

* * *

Kaplan noticed House glaring at him and felt a bit confused. The new doctor didn’t understand why he was being given a dirty look. 

House then left the room, with Wilson following behind him. Kaplan had to catch up a bit and met with Wilson in the break room. 

“Hey, Doctor...I’m sorry, I have already forgotten your name. I apologize for that,” Kaplan said to Wilson. Tomorrow, the new doctor would be working in the clinic.

“Wilson,” was the reply. “And it’s fine.” 

They made their way over to the coffee machine. While Wilson was pouring himself a cup, Kaplan spoke again. 

“Who was that guy that was glaring at me earlier? Did I say something offensive?” 

“That’s Doctor House. He’s head of Diagnostics. No, you didn’t say anything offensive. Doctor House just doesn’t really like many people. It’s just part of his personality,” Wilson continued. 

_And he’s also my lover,_ was the thought. _All of him is mine. And I belong to him. The things he did to me in bed last night…_

Wilson was brought out of his thoughts by Kaplan asking him another question. 

“Are you free for lunch today? I’d like to get to know you a bit better. Then again, I’d like to get to know everyone since I’ll be here for a few months.” 

“I’m having lunch with my boyfriend today, but sure, we can do it another day,” Wilson said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were seeing someone. How long has the relationship been going on?” 

“About eight-and-a-half months.” 

Wilson finished pouring his cup and then waited for Kaplan to get his drink. 

“Well, good for you. I’m glad you found someone who makes you happy.”

“Yes, absolutely.”

Once both men got their drinks, they sipped at the hot liquid as they made their way to the first patient’s room. 

* * *

Rounds were finished within an hour and then Kaplan followed Wilson to his office, where they went through some of the patient files. While Wilson was sitting in his chair and writing a prescription refill form, Kaplan put one hand on the desk and the other on Wilson’s shoulder. He gently raised his shoulder to make Kaplan let go of him, not liking his touch one bit. 

After going through some more files, Wilson looked at his watch and realized that it was time for lunch. He asked Kaplan for the files back and then locked them in his desk drawer. 

“I’ll see you a bit later,” Wilson said, picking up the prescription forms and then signaling for Kaplan to leave his office. The new doctor did so and made his way down the hall to the restrooms while Wilson headed over to the pharmacy and dropped off the forms with Marco, the pharmacist. 

Wilson made his way to the canteen, where he settled on getting some chicken tenders and a garden salad for lunch that day. Once he had gotten his food, he walked over to where House was sitting. The other man immediately smiled when Wilson sat down across from him. House took Wilson’s hand in his own and squeezed gently. 

“I missed you,” House said, then letting go of Wilson’s hand. House picked up his burger and took a bite out of it. “It’s not bad, but I much prefer our own.” 

“I missed you too,” Wilson replied. “Work seemed really long this morning. Doctor Kaplan had to shadow me this morning - Cuddy assigned him to my service.” 

“And how was it working with him?” 

“Umm, it seems to have gone well.” Wilson then took a bite out of one tender, enjoying the freshness of the chicken and the crispiness of the coating. “Oh wow, they must have just come out of the fryer because they are piping hot!”

“Can I have a bite?” Wilson then cut off a piece and gave it to House. “Oh, that is hot. But it’s good.” 

“I much prefer yours, though.”

Over at another table, Kaplan had just taken a seat across from one of the nurses after she had said he could sit at the table. As he started eating his crispy chicken sandwich, he turned his head and saw Wilson laughing with a man. Kaplan had seen the man earlier and thought he knew who he was, but only his back was visible, so Kaplan was a bit unsure of his identity. 

Kaplan saw Wilson grab the man’s hand and intertwine their fingers together. 

“Hey, do you know who the man is that’s sitting with Doctor Wilson?” Kaplan asked the nurse, whose name was Amy. 

“That’s Doctor House. He’s head of the Diagnostics department,” Amy replied. “He’s a huge, miserable jerk but he’s incredibly good at his job. People come from all over the country to see him sometimes.” 

“Are those two in a relationship?” 

“Yes, they are dating. They’ve been together now for nearly nine months. I had told myself that Wilson could do better than House, but they’ve surprised me. And overtime, I’ve realized that they’re good for each other.”

“Hmm, okay. Thank you for telling me this.” 

“No problem.” 

Kaplan turned his attention back to his sandwich. He continued to watch Wilson talk with his boyfriend every so often and felt a slight pang of jealousy go through him. 

_If House was such a jerk, then why would a nice guy like Wilson be with someone like him?_ Kaplan thought to himself. _Maybe I could convince him that he’s making a big mistake. I think he would be much happier with a guy like me. I’ve got to do some planning for it. I’ll put it into action near the end of the day._

He took another bite of his food before continuing to think.

 _I hope this works. Wilson is such a nice guy and he doesn’t deserve to be with a jerk like Doctor House._

* * *

As Wilson was filling out some paperwork at the reception desk that afternoon, he became startled by someone bumping into him. The sudden jolt made Wilson draw a huge line across the prescription form he had been about to sign. Wilson cursed under his breath because he knew that he was going to have to go back to his office and get another form. Filling out prescriptions forms wasn’t something that took a long time to do - it was more of an inconvenience when they had to be rewritten. 

“Oh, I am so sorry!” Doctor Kaplan said. “I nearly lost my balance.”

“It’s fine,” Wilson replied. Kaplan was still leaning against him but as he started to pull back, Wilson felt the other doctor’s hand on his behind.

He thought Kaplan might have brushed his hand there by accident, but after a few seconds, his hand was caressing his ass. 

Wilson immediately tensed up, leaning forward as Kaplan pulled his hand away. 

“I’ll be on my way now. I have a patient to attend to. I’ll see you around, Doctor Wilson,” he said as he walked away. 

Wilson was left feeling very confused. He went right back to signing his paperwork and handed the folder to one of the nurses behind the desk and headed back to his office.

Once he was alone, he thought back to what had just happened with Kaplan. Wilson decided to put what happened behind him and just try to forget it ever happened. He told himself that he wouldn’t let the situation bother him. 


End file.
